


The Book Club

by AimLou97



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Post-War, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:00:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29487915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AimLou97/pseuds/AimLou97
Summary: 4 years after the war, Hermione Granger achieves her dream of owning her own bookstore. She opens a quaint bookstore near Diagon Alley full of both magical and muggle literature. Without knowing Hermione is the owner, Theodore Nott decides visits the new store and runs into her for the first time since they were at Hogwarts. After an awkward start, they chat and realise that they have a lot in common and don’t have many friends to discuss their interests with. Their friendship starts with recommending books to each other before escalating into a full blown “book club” and meeting every Friday for dinner to discuss that week’s book.After a while, Theo asks to invite a friend to the club who shares their reading interests. The friend just so happens to be Draco Malfoy. After Hermione’s initial panic, she agrees. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like her silly teenage crush for Draco is going to make a reappearance, is it? Surely, he isn’t going to humiliate and insult her like when they were children? They are both now grown adults who should have left their bad blood and prejudice back on the battle ground. She guesses she will just have to wait to find out.Slow burn Dramione Fic.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Theodore Nott, Romilda Vane/Ron Weasley
Comments: 45
Kudos: 64





	1. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys! Thank you so much for choosing my book to read. This is the first FF I have ever written so please be kind, but I am always open to feedback.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Love Amy!

_17 th August 2002 _

Hermione stood on the cobbled steps facing the shop window with a bittersweet feeling in her chest. This has been a dream of hers since she was 7 years old. To open her very own bookstore. Whilst she was immensely proud of herself for achieving a lifelong dream, she couldn’t help feeling her heart clench at the sacrifices that had been made for this to happen.

Sacrifices.

Her entire teenage years had been full of sacrifices. Her fractured relationship with her parents after discovering her magical side, before having to let go of them completely to protect them. Hiding from Death Eaters in a tent whilst hunting Horcrux’s for months. Children fighting in a war that they did not start but was forced to finish. Hundreds of lives lost; Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, Snape, Dumbledore. Even Lavender. She didn’t care for the girl much, but she will never forget the image of her being mauled by that evil creature. She sees it every time she closes her eyes. All the horrors that she witnessed, replaying on a constant loop behind her eyes. All that heartache took place so that this day could happen. So that a muggle-born witch could be recognised as equal in the magical world. So that she could intertwine the two parts of her in the one thing that she loves more than her magic. Reading. Books. This bookstore is going to be the beginning of her healing.

As she stood looking at the sign above the door, _A Tale of Two Worlds,_ she allowed a single tear to drop onto her cheek before wiping it away and taking a shaky breath. Gripping the keys in her trembling hand, she made to unlock the door for the very first time. Walking into the empty store, she left the sadness and grief behind and chose to only feel hope and gratefulness. This bookstore is going to be her source of happiness on her dark days. She took a slow walk round the empty space, envisioning how it will look when full of book shelves, mentally listing the genres and organising muggle from magical stories. Hermione smiled to herself knowing that it will be all she had ever dreamed of when it was finished. She had two weeks to get the store in order before the grand opening. It was times like this that she was extra grateful for her magical abilities. She couldn’t imagine filling and organising an entire store in 2 weeks without it. At least she had her friends to help. She mentally thanked Molly and Arthur for having so many children as it meant more hands to lug books around.

She spent the rest of the day making plans for where the different genres would be best placed. After some internal deliberating, she decided to keep the muggle literature from the magical. The left-hand side of the shop would host any muggle books, whilst the right would do the same for the magical books. She used her magic to clean the shop from floor to ceiling before deciding that she should stop for the day. After locking up, she apparated to the fields just outside the Burrow. It was Sunday which meant family dinners curtesy of Molly. 

On her walk up to the Burrow, she could hear, what sounded like, hundreds of voices. However, Hermione knew from experience that there was only a handful of people causing the noise. As soon as she stepped through the front door, she was hit with the smell of Molly’s famous homemade fudge. With her mouth instantly salivating, she yelled out a greeting, however, no one heard her over the noise.

“honestly George, how many times do I have to tell you to take your feet off the dining room table? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were raised in a barn!” Molly scolded.

“you really shouldn’t yell at me Mum, I’m already depressed about being twinless, you don’t need to kick a man whilst he’s down!” George responded with a hint of sarcasm.

“GEORGE FABIAN WEASLEY! How many times do I have to tell you to stop making jokes about our darling Fred. It is far too soon”. “Sorry Mum”.

Hermione giggled at the exchanged and looked around the room at who had already arrived. Harry was sat in the armchair with Ginny in his lap, Ron was spread out on the floor playing Wizard’s Chess with Percy. Molly was cooking with the help of Fleur, Angelina and Arthur. George and Bill were lounging at the dining table and bickering about something. Arthur was the first to spot Hermione at the door and practically ran to greet her.

“Hermione dear, how are you? Done anything extra muggle-y this week?”

“Hello Mr Weasley, no nothing this week. I’ve spent my time preparing for the shop to open”, Hermione responded.

“Please Hermione, call me Arthur, you’re practically my Daughter there’s no need for formalities”. Hermione nodded as she always did when Molly and Arthur told her to call them by their given names. “I am going to go through to see the boys, I’ll be back out to help soon”.

Hermione walked through to the sitting room and Harry spotted her immediately.

“Here she is, entrepreneur of the year” Harry joked gesturing towards Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes, “really Harry, I haven’t got a single book in the store yet. But don’t fret, next year I will be winning that title”. Harry grinned widely, “I expect nothing less”.

“Hi ‘Mione!” “Hello Ronald, Percy”. Ginny huffed “what am I? the red-headed step child?” Hermione turned to face Ginny, “No, you’re the red-headed only Daughter. Don’t be so inpatient Gin, I only saw you this morning!”. “Yes well, I am the most important person here. Much more exciting than these thickheads”. Hermione snorted and pulled the younger girl into a hug.

After a quick glance around Hermione asked Ron “where’s Romilda?” “she got stuck at work, apparently one of her patients has taken a turn for the worst”. Ron started dating Romilda Vane about 18 months ago. They bumped into each other in the Leaky Cauldron after work one night and have been inseparable ever since. Whilst it was a mutual decision for Hermione and Ron not to act on their feelings towards each other, when Ron met Romilda it solidified this decision and hurt her quite a bit. She knew that it wasn’t because Ron was with someone else that hurt, it was the fact that she was alone. After the war, everyone seemed to gravitate towards finding love, apart from her. Bill had Fleur, Harry had Ginny, George had Angelina, Ron now had Romilda and Hermione was alone. She wasn’t short of offers for dates, but Hermione never felt a connection to any men that she dated. She hasn’t even had a crush since she was 16. And that was doomed from the very start. She cringed at the reminder that she had once had a crush on Draco Malfoy. The Prince of Slytherin. She never shared this embarrassing secret with anyone except Ginny when they had shared a Dorm during her 8th year at Hogwarts.

_“’Mione you can’t be serious? You had a crush on that SNAKE”_

_“urgh keep your voice down Gin! I am already mortified about it I don’t need you to announce it to the world” Hermione groaned._

_“Sorry it just took me by surprise. So go on, tell me, what drew you to him? His silky hair? His porcelain skin? Or was it all the stories about hi huge di- “_

_“GINERVA! Don’t be so disgusting. It was just a stupid teenage crush, nothing sinister about it”._

_“well I wouldn’t blame you, I heard stories from Lavender and Parvarti that they had heard from some Slytherin girls, that he had girls screaming from his dorm room!” Ginny gushed._

_“Ginny please, I don’t need that imagery” Hermione said blushing._

_“oooo is that in case you start picturing him in your dreams again playing with your fiddle”_

_“fuck off Gin. You know I would never dream about that!” Hermione could feel her blush spreading down to her chest. She began feeling a strange swirling in her stomach at the thought of such torrid dreams._

_“ok ok if you say so ‘Mione. I’ll drop it. But maybe if you let yourself have dreams like that, you wouldn’t still be a virgin” Ginny responding teasingly._

_“I am a virgin by choice Ginny. If I wanted to I could have my feel of men between the sheets” Hermione responded._

_“Exactly Hermione! You could have your pick of all the eligible bachelors in the whole of wizarding Britain, but you turn down everyone without giving it a thought”._

_“Just leave it Gin. When I’m ready, I will start dating”._

That was over 2 years ago, and Hermione still hadn’t made any progress on the relationship front. In fact, she was 22 and still a virgin. As mortifying as this fact was to her, she thought it would be more mortifying to throw herself at any given man just for being able to say that she had had sex. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Molly calling out for dinner.

After having dinner with the whole Weasley clan, they talked and played games until late into the evening. Hermione didn’t floo back to her little flat until almost 9pm.

Hermione bought the flat on the outskirts of London a few months after she graduated from Hogwarts. Molly had said that she was welcome to move into the Burrow, but being an only child, she quite liked her own space and she wasn’t going to get that living with the Weasleys. After stepping through the floo, she walked straight through to the other side of the flat to run a hot bubble bath. She knew that she wouldn’t have the time to relax for the next few weeks with the shop opening creeping up on her, so she wanted to make the most of tonight.

Once the bath was ready, she shed her clothes and sunk into the bubbles. She let her mind shut off whilst she laid there. After a while she felt the water getting cold, so she washed her hair and body and stepped out of the bath. She used her wand to magically dry her hair enough to not get her pillow wet and got straight into bed. She hoped that she would get at least a few hours sleep tonight before the inevitable nightmares happened. The last thing she remembered before she succumbed to sleep was a pair of grey eyes. 


	2. Time to get organised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter, this is just a bridging chapter ready for the opening of the shop!

_18 th August 2002 _

Hermione woke that morning at 4.30am with a start. Her heart was still thumping inside her chest from her latest nightmare. This time it was the battle in the department of mysteries that had plagued her mind. Harry’s screams after Sirius passed through the veil ringing in her ears. She took a few deep breaths before climbing out of bed and sliding her feet into her slippers. She knew it was no use attempting to go back to sleep after such vivid dreams so decided to make the most of her early rising to have a relaxed breakfast before apparating to the shop. She padded through the flat to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She used her wand to heat the water up instantly. She hasn’t had to wait for the water to heat up since choosing her wand at 11. She allowed the hot water to wash away the reminder of her nightmare and relax her tight muscles. This was her favourite time of day. It was a chance to really be alone with her thoughts and plan her day.

Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed her bathrobe and wrapped it tightly around her body. She brushed her teeth while having a passing thought about her parents. She wondered what they were doing currently. Did they open a new dentistry in Australia? She shook the thoughts from her head, rinsing her mouth. She chose a light, knee length summer dress for a day working during the blistering summer heat. She scrapped her hair into a messy bun and decided to for-go any makeup today.

When she reached the kitchen, she used her wand to start the coffee machine and to pop two slices of toast in the toaster. Whilst waiting for her breakfast, she flicked through the Daily Prophet. As usual, Ginny was mentioned on page 7 alongside the rest of the Hollyhead Harpies. Ginny has been playing professional Quidditch since graduating from Hogwarts. Whilst Hermione has never taken any interest in the game, she was immensely proud of her friend for breaking the stigma against women playing Quidditch professionally. The rest of the Weasley clan were particularly thrilled when Ginny signed with the team as it meant that they had exclusive use of a viewing box for every game.

The toast popped in the toaster and Hermione lathered it in Raspberry Jam. Her favourite. She took her coffee, toast and the Daily Prophet to her small dining area and read whilst she ate. At 06.30 she was stood in the entryway of the shop making her plan of action. By the time Harry, Ron, Ginny, Percy, George and Bill arrived at 09.00, she had polished the floors, laid the carpet that lead to the cashier desk and began building the bookshelves. Hermione had chosen cherrywood for the bookshelves and desk as it reminded her of the Gryffindor common room and dorms. The dark, beautiful wood brought her a sense of home comfort.

“Blimey Hermione, you’ve been busy! What time did you get here this morning?” Ron asked.

“Around 06.30. I couldn’t sleep so came in early” she responded.

“Ron doesn’t even know what 06.30 looks like. We had to force him to get out of bed at 08.30 with the threat that he would miss breakfast” Harry teased.

“well if I had missed breakfast, I would have been grumpy. Would you really want to be stuck with me all day if I hadn’t eaten?” Ron joked back.

“Merlin no! I may have Avada’d you before lunch” laughed Hermione.

The whole group giggled at Ron’s expense. They divide and conquered the tasks all morning. The boys, except for Percy, finished building all the bookshelves whilst the rest of the group unpacked the book deliveries that had began turning up just after 10am. Percy was rather excited about seeing the books before any customers as Hermione had promised them all a large discount for helping her set up. At noon, Ron suggested breaking for lunch. Ron, Harry and Bill went to collect sandwiches from Fortescue’s.

“you know ‘Mione, now that we are only a few doors away from each other, we can meet for lunch everyday” George suggested.

“that would be lovely George, however, who is going to watch the shops whilst we sneak away?” Hermione questioned.

“ah, that’s what staff are for Granger. If I bring them a treat back, they don’t mind covering”.

“that’s great however I don’t plan on hiring anyone just yet. I want to enjoy this place all to myself. Plus, you know how I feel about trusting people with my books” Hermione reminded George.

“How could I forget? Back in fifth year me and Fred borrowed one of your books for a really ingenious prank, and you hexed us so bad that mum had to get a healer round!” George joked. At the mention of Fred, George’s eyes misted over before shaking his head and sending Hermione a wink.

Hermione rolled her eye at the ginger man and giggled just as the 3 boys came traipsing through the front door.

“you’re never going to believe who we ran into” Ron all but yelled.

“by the look on your faces, I’d be inclined to say Peeves?” Percy said.

“Nope, Malfoy!” responded Ron.

“please tell me you didn’t get into a hexing match in the middle of a restaurant?” Ginny scolded.

“No we didn’t actually. He was uh – kind of ok? Civil even” Harry said slightly in shock.

“Civil? Are you sure it was Malfoy and not just another white-haired ferret?” Hermione joked. Ron snorted at this and looked rather pleased with Hermione’s insult.

“No, it was definitely him. He was having tea with Mummy and Daddy” Ron said mockingly.

“is that not a bit sad, considering he’s 22? Was Astoria not with them?” Ginny asked.

“Did you not hear that they broke up? Quite a while ago actually. Fleur heard it from one of her friends at that luncheon thing she attends” Bill confirmed.

“ah so he’s single? Interesting” Ginny nodded her head whilst side-eying Hermione. Hermione pretended she didn’t have any interest in the conversation and went about eating her sandwich.

“why’s that interesting Gin? Thinking of trading me in for someone richer?” Harry asked with a frown.

“that depends Potter. Are you ever going to forget my Birthday again?”

“Merlin’s sake Gin. That was one time. And I didn’t forget, it merely slipped my mind. Can you please drop it now? Its been over a week!” Harry complained.

Ginny sniggered into her sandwich.

“you’ve got a lot to learn about women Harry. Especially Weasley women” Bill quipped.

“evidently”.

Over the next two weeks, Hermione had the help of all the Weasleys and co, plus Luna contacted her and offered to interview her for the Quibbler and cover the opening on the front page. Hermione was thrilled as she hadn’t advertised the shop at all yet just in case something went wrong.

When Hermione woke on the 31st, she was extremely nervous. She couldn’t stomach breakfast and only made it halfway through her coffee before giving up completely. She used her wand to straighten her hair for the occasion and opted for light makeup. She’d already chosen a smart muggle work dress to wear. It was navy blue, mid length which showed off her toned calves and short sleeved. It was quite tight which clung to her curves. Hermione felt very womanly when she looked in the mirror, especially after selecting a pair of shiny black court heels to finish off the look. Before she could question her outfit, she apparated to the shop. The shop finally had that musty book smell that Hermione loved so much. She looked round the empty store. The calm before the storm. There was a balloon arch outside the front door, curtesy of Ginny and a bowl of spearmints on the desk. She took the time to fluff the pillows in the reading corner and check that she had enough gift bags behind the counter. At 09.00 the entire Weasley clan arrived with a pop. At 09.30, the door to A Tale of Two Worlds opened for the first time and Hermione felt a small crack in her heart, repair.


	3. The Opening

By 10.00, the shop was packed! Luna was interviewing customers for The Quibbler, Rita Skeeter had turned up, uninvited, to cover the opening for The Prophet. It seemed that half of the Hogwarts Alumni had turn up! The first to arrive were Neville and Hannah Abbott. They had been dating since 8th year and had recently moved in together. Hannah now owned the Three Broomsticks whilst Neville was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts. It seemed funny to Hermione that Neville was a professor as it seemed that all their teachers were ancient whilst they were students. Romilda managed to sneak away from work early to make the opening and bring Hermione some flowers. Romilda had recently completed her Healer training and was working at St Mungos. Molly was especially thrilled to have a Healer in the family, especially with her memories of Fred and George’s pranks.

“Hermione! The shop is truly beautiful. It’s as if you have combined the Gryffindor common room with the Hogwarts library. You really have outdone yourself” Romilda gushed.

“that’s so kind of you to say ‘Mils. Thank you for coming, I’m sure all you want to do after a nightshift is crawl into bed” Hermione responded

“honestly, I don’t mind. It beats having to cook Ron breakfast” Romilda joked.

“you know, I can’t even pretend to be shocked that Ronald is incapable of making his own breakfast. I adore Molly, but she definitely wrapped those boys up in cotton wool”

“here here!”.

Hermione and Romilda began giggling just as Arthur attempted to get everyone’s attention.

“Sorry to interrupt everyone, but I felt it would be fitting to make a quick speech to mark the opening of A Tale of Two Worlds. Firstly, thank you all for coming to support Hermione’s new business. I know that this is something she has dreamed of for most of her life and it just makes me and Molly so proud to see her achieve it. Whilst Hermione isn’t related by blood, we have never seen her as any less than our Daughter. There is nothing quite like the feeling, of watching your child grow into a mature, successful adult” Arthur turned to Hermione. “Hermione, if you put even an ounce of the amount of love and devotion that you have shown our family over the last decade, then this bookstore will be around for generations of students to come. Your parents may not be here to witness you reach these milestones, but I like to think that we are the next best thing. My heart just swells to see you so happy”. Hermione began to tear up at the heartfelt words that Arthur professed. “and on that note, if you would all raise your glasses, to the brightest witch of her age and owner of the newest bookstore in Diagon Alley, Miss Hermione Granger”

“Hermione Granger” the crowd echoed.

Hermione leapt into Arthurs arms and tried to hold back the tears. “thank you so much Mr Weasley, and you’re right, you may not be my biological parents, but you are my magical parents and I wouldn’t be half the person I am without you and Molly”.

“the pleasure has been ours Hermione, truly” Arthur responded fondly.

Hermione spent the afternoon answering questions for the two newspapers, networking with ministry workers and professors and assisting customers with their orders. By mid-afternoon, she was struggling to find conversation starters. Luckily, most of the attendees were friends so she didn’t have to try too hard. She spotted Ginny standing by the cashier desk alone and felt guilty for not speaking to her much today.

“you’re looking lonely Gin” Hermione stated approaching the freckled beauty.

“Not at all. I’m merely shopping”

“shopping? You’re actually going to buy one of my books?” Hermione questioned surprised.

“don’t be daft! I am shopping for men. For you. You’ve been single far too long. You’re on the cusp of becoming a spinster” Ginny said narrowing her brows.

“a spinster! I hardly think 22 will qualify me as an old bride”

“perhaps not but if you carry on down this road, you won’t be far off”.

“Gin for Merlin’s sake! How many times do we have to have this conversation? I will date when I’m ready. I have been focusing all my energy on the shop opening. Is that a crime?” Hermione huffed.

“not technically a crime in the eyes of the ministry, but definitely a crime to your womanhood” Ginny smirked

“right that’s it, I’m walking away”.

The crowd slowly started to disperse as the afternoon wore on, leaving just a few customers plus the Weasleys.

“Hermione dear, you must be so pleased. It has been such a lovely day” Molly exclaimed.

“oh I couldn’t be happier! The opening has been everything I dreamed of and more!”

“we must celebrate this Sunday. You are still coming aren’t you now that you’re a high-flying business woman?” Molly teased.

“you know I wouldn’t miss family dinners at the Burrow for the world”

Molly winked at Hermione before the Weasley’s said their goodbyes and departed the shop.

Hermione took the time to vanish all the champagne glasses and give the shop a quick tidy up. As she was making her way back to the cashier desk, she heard the bell at the front door ring signalling that a new customer had entered.

“Hello, welcome to A Tale of Two Wor-“ Hermione stopped in her tracks when she saw who was standing on the welcome mat. Theodore Nott. Pureblood Slytherin. Part of Draco Malfoy’s inner circle. He had changed a lot since Hogwarts. He had grown tremendously in height and had become quite handsome. Handsome? Get a grip Hermione, he’s a snake.

“Granger. Good to see you. Do you work here?” Theodore asked.

“Nott. Actually, I’m the owner. What brings you here?”

“You own this bookstore? I’ve got to say, I’m quite impressed. I saw the balloons outside and guessed it was the opening”

“well, you guessed correctly”.

Theodore gave Hermione a thin-lipped smile.

“uh…could I…assist you with anything? Is there a particular book that you were looking for?” Hermione stuttered.

“nothing in particular but I am always open to suggestions from the brightest witch of our age” Theodore smirked.

“oh – um – sure. What kind of books do you like? I have both magical and muggle. Although I suppose you wouldn’t want to read anything muggle written. Do you want an actual story or something more like a textbook? I have both. I could show you the stacks?” Hermione babbled.

“Granger, you’re waffling. I’m not going to hex you if that’s what you’re worried about” chuckled Nott.

“No of course not. That would be preposterous” Hermione said, unconvincingly.

“Do you have anything by Lorna Lufts? I recently read her book on the History of the Ministry and found it quite informative” Theodore suggested.

“of course! I have her newly released book about the founders of Hogwarts. It’s about their early lives and the events that lead them to join alliances to open Hogwarts” Hermione advised.

“Great I’ll take it”

“Great”

Hermione located the book and brought it to the cashier desk. She went about recording the sale in the stock book and ringing up on the till.

“Will you be taking accounts here? If so, I would like to open one. I imagine I’ll be purchasing quite a lot from here” Nott questioned

“oh sure. That’s great. Please just fill in this form and I can send a copy to Gringotts to open the account”.

Theodore completed the paperwork and passed it back to Hermione.

“Granger. Whilst I’m here, I just wanted to apologise for the way I treated you at school. Now that I am an adult, I realise that it was very unkind, and I am more than ashamed of my actions”

Hermione was taken aback. Whilst Nott was close friends with Malfoy, she doesn’t remember him throwing slurs or insults her way.

“You didn’t actually insult me Nott, there’s no need to apologise”

“I may not have called you names, but I also did not stop my friends from doing so. That is guilty by association. So, again, please accept my apologies”.

“thank you, Nott. I really appreciate the apology and consider the past forgotten. If I learned anything during the war, it’s not to hold on to hate and grudges” Hermione sent Theodore a small smile.

“thank you, Granger, that means a lot”. Hermione nodded.

“if I may be so bold, would you like to join me for coffee in the future? It would be great to catch up and get to know each other better” Theodore proposed.

“oh, Nott…”

“Theo, please”

“Theo, I am flattered but I’m not looking to date right now, with the shop opening and”

“Granger don’t get your knickers in a twist. I merely meant as friends, or _hopefully_ as friends” Theo grinned.

“wow ok, well, that’s not embarrassing at all. I’m so sorry for assuming”

“don’t apologise its fine. I’m sure you are so use to being hit on these days that you can’t differentiate. Don’t worry”

“hm not quite”

“So does that mean you accept my offer of coffee?” Theo asked

“Sure. Why don’t you owl me when you’d like to meet?”

Hermione gave Theo her address and handed him the gift bag with his new purchase.

“thank you. Have a nice evening Granger”

“Hermione, please”

Theo give Hermione a soft smile before departing the shop.

Hermione busied herself in the shop until 6pm before closing and apparating home. She promptly poured herself a large glass of red wine and ran herself a well-deserved bath. She went over the events of the day and smiled to herself. The opening had been everything she hoped for and she was more than excited to go back to work tomorrow. After her bath she ordered a pizza and settled in front of her television to catch up on Gilmore Girls. By 10pm she was falling asleep on the sofa so decided to take herself to bed as she knew from experience that sleeping on the sofa would do no favours for her neck.

She managed to only have 1 nightmare that night. This time she was floating through the great hall after the battle, staring at the faces of all those who died at the hands of the death eaters. She was stood behind Ron as he broke down in George’s arms at the sight of Fred laid on the floor. Before she was able to offer any comfort, a tapping at her window startled her awake.


	4. The Owl

_1 st September 2002 _

It took her a few heartbeats to realise what the tapping was. She rolled onto her right side to see a beautiful Tawny Owl tapping at her window. As she dragged herself to the window, she realised that she didn’t recognise this owl. It wasn’t Pigwidgeon, Ron’s Scops Owl, nor was it Nora, Harry’s Owl. Harry had been distraught when Hedwig was killed during the war, so Hermione, Ginny and Ron bought him Nora for his 21st Birthday. Hermione opened the window and the Owl soared in, doing a quick rotation around the bedroom before settling on the window seal. She gave the creature a quick pet and untied the letter from its foot. The Owl took back off into the sky within seconds.

Walking through the house to the kitchen, Hermione flipped over the letter to see a black wax seal on the back with a crest that she did not recognise. Tearing the envelop open, she discovered it was from Theo.

_Hermione,_

_It was great to see you yesterday._

_As promised, I would like to invite you for breakfast on Thursday morning._

_Fortescues at 8am._

_Please let me know if you are free, my address is enclosed._

_Theo_

Hermione was surprised that Theo had contacted her so quickly. It made her wonder if Theo had any ulterior motives for inserting himself into her life so rapidly. She shook the thought and went about making breakfast. Once finished eating and cleaning the kitchen with a stroke of her wand, she quickly scribbled her acceptance on a piece of parchment and called for her own own, Dinah. Dinah was a Little Owl covered in an array of brown and red feathers. She was positively Gryffindor. She gave Dinah a few treats before sending her on her way. Within the next hour, Hermione was opening the bookshop door for business.

The 1st of September will always hold a dear place in Hermione’s heart as it is the first day back to school for Hogwarts’s students. Whilst she doesn’t miss chasing and defeating dark wizards whilst trying to navigate her way through puberty, Hermione does miss the comfort that school brought to her. It has never been a secret that Hermione loved school and learning but no one had ever cared to ask why she loved it. Hermione thrived on organisation and planning. All her classes were set out by a schedule and had a set curriculum. She could lose herself in the books and the knowledge that she was gaining to distract herself from the fact that she did not have many friends. Prior to Hogwarts, she didn’t have any friends at all in fact. She tried to use knowledge and cleverness as a way to make friends at Primary School, but it only made the other children irritated by her. By the time she started at Hogwarts, she didn’t know how to act any different. Plus, she felt that she had to constantly prove herself and her worth of magic because she was muggle-born. She knew that there was a large population of wizards and witches that believed she didn’t deserve her magic. So she always strived to prove those people just how wrong they were. After her part in the war, she felt that she had thoroughly achieved this and felt even more so when she received 11 NEWTS.

School and learning gave her a purpose, so after graduating, she felt that she had lost her purpose. She felt that she had floated for a long time, not knowing what to do with herself. She had gained all these qualifications and all this life experience, but she had no idea how to make use of any of it. The bookstore had finally given her a sense of purpose back. 

The day passed rather quickly with a constant flurry of customers. Hermione was pleasantly surprised at how busy her shop was on only the second day of business. She expected it to take months to build up a steady flow of customers, but she supposed people were probably coming to the shop because of who she is rather than the shop itself. With that said, she made a fair few sales, to which she could not help but be smug. She busied herself with balancing the stock book and tidying the store until 6pm. She apparated home for a change of clothes before flooing straight to the Hollyhead Harpies’ Quidditch stadium. Ginny and her team were playing against Puddlemere United this evening. Hermione still didn’t understand the game but would be damned if she wasn’t here to support her best friend. Hermione located Harry and the Weasley’s at the bar and strolled over to meet them.

“finally! I didn’t think you were going to make it” Harry exclaimed.

“have I missed a single game since Ginny was signed Harry?” Hermione questioned

“well no, but I thought you might be too busy with the shop to continue to watch ever game”

“don’t be ridiculous, I would never miss an opportunity to support my favourite Weasley”

“Oi, I thought I was your favourite Weasley” Ron whined

“I’m only teasing Ron, I don’t have a favourite” Hermione placated him

“well you should do! I’ve been your friend for much longer. Plus, I was your Boyfriend for a while too”

“even more reason for you not to be my favourite” Hermione and Harry sniggered.

“whatever let’s get to the box before the game starts” Ron huffed,

After a long, clammy three hours’ and 4 glasses of red wine later, The Harpies were victorious at 280-190 points. After a victory lap, the team joined Hermione, Harry and the Weasley’s at the bar to celebrate.

“congratulations Gin” Harry beamed at his Girlfriend. Ginny skipped over to him, landing a sloppy kiss on his lips.

“ergh get a room you two” Ron grumbled

“we have one thanks and we will definitely be using it later” Ginny retorted with a smirk.

“that’s repulsive. Shouldn’t you be waiting till marriage for…. things like that”

“oh, like you waited for marriage with Romilda? Don’t think we haven’t heard noises coming from your room when we stayed for Christmas” Harry taunted

Ron’s face and neck turned an unhealthy shade of red at Harry’s confession whilst Hermione and Ginny roared with laughter. As they pulled themselves together, a man with sandy brown hair approached the group.

“Weasley, you played brilliantly tonight. I think we can all agree that we owe a huge part of our win, to you” spoke the man.

“nonsense Bell, I don’t recall you letting much past you in the rings”

The man smiled and glanced around the group.

“guys this is Parker Bell, our new keeper. We signed him a few weeks ago but it was his first game with us tonight. Bell, this is my boyfriend Harry, my Brother Ron and friend Hermione”. Ginny introduced.

“Harry, Ron and Hermione? As in, Potter, Weasley and Granger? The Golden Trio?”

The trio shyly smiled at Bell whilst looking slightly embarrassed.

“sorry I didn’t mean to sound like such a stalker, I just have huge respect for you three”.

“not at all, its great to meet you” Harry responded on their behalf.

Hermione took in Bell’s appearance. He was still in his uniform which showed off his stocky build. He was tall, not as tall as Ron, but he still towered over Hermione. He had soft features and hazel coloured eyes. Hermione tried to work out if she recognised him from Hogwarts but couldn’t place him. He must be a few years older than her, so he may have very well gone to Hogwarts.

“forgive me Parker, I don’t recognise you. Did you go to Hogwarts?” Hermione asked

“I did actually but I was a fourth year when you all started as firsts. I was in Ravenclaw and quite the little bookworm, so I’m not surprised you don’t recognise me” Parker chuckled.

“you like to read? Hermione has just opened a bookshop in Diagon Alley. You should visit sometime” Ginny suggested

“really? That’s incredible. What type of books do you hold?”

“a real mixture actually. I have both muggle and magical. I’m hoping to make the magical community realise that muggle literature isn’t that much different from ours” Hermione explained

“that’s fascinating. I’ll be sure to visit, if only to see you Miss Granger” Parker said before bidding goodbye to the group and turning to talk to some of his team members.

Hermione has blushed and took a large mouthful of her wine. Ginny was practically jumping with excitement at Parker’s statement whilst the boys looked more awkward than usual. Hermione stayed for another 40 minutes before she decided to call it a night. She floo’d back to the flat and headed straight to bed. She was utterly exhausted from the long day and couldn’t think of anything better than drifting off into the darkness. She tossed and turned for a while thinking about Parker’s flirty statement. She was utterly gobsmacked at his boldness to flirt with a woman he had never met before, especially in front of her friends. Perhaps she was just not use to men flirting with her so brazenly she concluded. She finally succumbed to sleep after 2 hours of overthinking. 


	5. Breakfast with a Snake

_5 th September 2002 _

The next few days seemed to pass in a blur. The shop consistently had customers flying in and out leaving Hermione already having to put in an order for new stock. George had kept his word and had visited Hermione for lunch on Tuesday. She was so glad that George was finally getting back to his old self again. He was depressed for a long time after Fred passed. For 3 months after the final battle, George didn’t leave his bedroom except to use the toilet. He barely ate, and when he did, he ate in the solidarity of his room. After a lot of persuasion from Molly and Bill, he agreed to start seeing a Mind Healer for therapy. It’s been a very long road to recovery, but he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Weasley’s Wizard’s Wheezes remained closed until 18 months ago.

Hermione, Harry and Ron had all been offered Auror positions at the ministry once they had completed their NEWTS. Harry accepted without hesitation as did Ron. Hermione had had her feel of chasing death eaters to last a lifetime so politely declined. Ron managed 8 months of training before he quit to support George with his healing and to run the shop with him. Hermione truly admired how much Ron had grown as a person since the war. He reminded her of Bill in a lot of ways. He had always been a protector but as he grew mature, he learned to channel this energy in a way to support his loved ones. Ron would never be able to replace Fred in George’s eyes, but he made working at the shop bearable again.

When Hermione woke on Thursday morning, she had almost forgotten that she agreed to meet Theo for breakfast. It took her longer than she cared to admit choosing an appropriate outfit for the meeting. Whilst this was not a date, she was conscious that Theo was a wealthy pureblood who had been raised in an elite society. The last thing she wanted was to highlight that she did not have the same upbringing. She settled on a cream tea dress with a pale yellow cardigan and heeled sandals. Over the years, her curls had calmed down significantly and were now loose and fairly contained. She was able to leave her hair down naturally without looking like she was trying to do an impression of Hagrid.

She apparated to Fortescue’s 15 minutes early and entered the garden area to find a table. She chose a table near the back of the garden, so not to be seen from any passers-by. Theo arrived at 5 minutes to 8 with a small smile. He greeted Hermione by kissing her knuckles. Hermione must have shown her surprise as Theo quipped,

“don’t blush on my account Granger, it was merely a polite greeting”

“oh, I know that Theo. It’s just that I’m not usually greeted that way by men”

“in that case, they are not men, they are boys. They also have not been raised with proper manners” Theo responded.

The waitress came by, saving Hermione from having to respond.

“Good morning Sir and Miss. What can I get for you?”

“I will have a black coffee and the tropical fruit salad if you please” Theo ordered

“I will have a tea with milk and 3 spoons of honey please” Hermione asked whilst looking over the menu. “I will also have the crumpets with a side of watermelon please”.

The waitress smiled and turned towards the kitchen.

“three spoons of honey?” Theo asked with a raised eyebrow

“yes, you must try it, it’s splendid”

“it’s not that. I have a friend who takes his tea the same way. It’s just curious is all” Theo said staring at Hermione with narrowed eyes.

Shit. How could she be so stupid? She started taking her tea that way after noticing a certain blonde Slytherin taking his tea this exact way back in fourth year. It can’t be that uncommon though can it? Surely Theo can’t know that that’s why Hermione originally tried the combination. It’s not like she still thinks about Malfoy whilst making her tea after all these years.

“hm yes, how strange” Hermione deflected, looking anywhere but at Theo.

The conversation was polite with small talk until the tea and breakfast was settled at the table.

“How did you enjoy the new Lorna Lufts book?” Hermione asked before taking a bit of her crumpet.

“I found it fascinating. I didn’t know that Helga Hufflepuff was gifted in Divination. I just always assumed her main interests were Herbology” Theo expressed.

“it really is very knowledgeable. I found the section about Rowena’s disastrous relationship with Albert Ludwood particularly enthralling” Hermione gushed.

“I must admit, it’s nice to have someone to discuss books with. Not many of my friends enjoy reading quite as much as me. Especially not with your level of insight” Theo confessed

“I would be inclined to agree. Harry and Ron have never shared my same interests. In fact, I don’t know if either of them even finished a textbook during the entire 8 years at Hogwarts” Hermione smiled.

“you must be positively aching for intelligent conversation Granger” Theo winked as if to show that he meant to malice towards Hermione’s boys.

“I guess I have never really met anyone quite as bookish as me” Hermione admitted.

“well, I would be more than happy to talk books with you any time Granger”

“Hermione, please”.

“Hermione”.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in comfortable silence. They were finishing up their drinks when the waitress brought the bill to the table. Theo pulled out the sum of Galleons and placed them on the table.

“Theo you don’t need to pay for me, I can get my own breakfast”

“nonsense. I invited you here, therefore I will pay”.

“honestly Theo you don’t need to do that”

“oh, but I insist. Call me old fashioned but I couldn’t live with myself if I was unable to be the perfect gentlemen towards the Gryffindor Princess” Theo drawled sarcastically.

“fine I will allow it, on the condition that I am to pay next time?” Hermione stated

“if that is your way of asking me on a date Granger –“

“no I wasn’t!”

“I’m pulling your tail. I would love to meet for breakfast again” Theo stifled a laugh.

They walked towards the exit and onto the cobbled pavement of Diagon Alley.

“Let me walk you to the bookstore” Theo offered.

“oh that isn’t necessary, it’s only a few shops down”

“Humour me. Plus, I was hoping for a new book recommendation from yourself?”

“of course. Along the same lines a Lufts or are you open to something different?”

“anything that you recommend, I am happy to read” Theo assured Hermione.

When they arrived at the bookstore, Hermione made quick work of pulling a fiction story from the wizarding section. The story was about a wizard that went in search of a rare artefact and resulted in being trapped in an enchanted cave. Theo gladly accepted the recommendation and they agreed to meet the following Thursday for breakfast.

Hermione was surprised to find that she had thoroughly enjoyed her morning with Theo and found it refreshing to discuss something other than Quidditch with a man. She was quite looking forward to next Thursday with her new-found friend.


	6. The Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support so far, I really appreciate it! Please keep the comments coming as I love to interact with you guys:)

_2 nd October 2002 _

The 4 weeks following her first meeting with Theo flew by in a flurry of book recommendations, tea and breakfast meetings. Thursday morning breakfasts had become a standing date in her diary and she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she looked forward to it every week. Of course, when she had told her friends about it, Ron was dramatic, Harry was apprehensive, and Ginny was giddy with the idea of a perfect enemies to lover’s romance story.

_“Hermione you can’t be serious! How can you even think of being friendly with him? He’s a slytherin and might I remind you what his friends put us all through at school? More importantly, what they put you through!” Ron raged._

_“actually, I am being perfectly serious Ronald. We graduated school years ago now, so I hardly think its appropriate to still use house segregation to warn people off being friends with others. Yes, Theo’s friends were particularly vile towards me at school, Theo didn’t ever call me a mudblood that I recall. Anyhow, he has apologised for what transpired at Hogwarts and I have decided to accept his apology and offer him forgiveness. Maybe that something you need some first-hand experience in” Hermione retorted impatiently._

_“Harry you can’t honestly agree with this?” Ron yelled_

_“I didn’t say I agree”_

_“I do not need approval from anyone let alone either of you two. I am a grown witch and am competent in making my own decisions” she reminded_

_“I also didn’t say you needed our permission. Whilst I don’t like the idea of you spending time alone with Nott, I do agree that he wasn’t exactly a bully at Hogwarts. He was merely a silent observer” Harry reasoned._

_“Ron, ‘Mione is perfectly capable of looking after herself and if she trusts Nott, then I don’t think we should be trying to interfere” Harry finalised._

_“Thank you, Harry. I don’t want to hear another word about it Ron unless it’s a positive statement” Hermione concluded, leaving no room for Ron to respond with anything but a huff._

_“I think its brilliant! I mean he was always quite handsome at school, I can only imagine he’s got better looking with age” said Ginny._

_“I mean, he isn’t ugly. But anyway, we are purely friends. We have both made it abundantly clear that nothing more will ever come from our meetings other than friendship” Hermione warned the witch._

_“you’re no fun Hermione. This would be such an epic love story. Two people who fought on opposite sides of the war, coming together over their love of books, to eventually fall madly in love with each other” Ginny squealed._

_“your imagination truly is something else Gin” Hermione sighed._

They haven’t discussed the topic again apart from Harry checking in to make sure Theo was behaving as a perfect gentleman. Which of course he was. Hermione had come to find Theo was quite witty and incredibly cheeky. He was an insufferable flirt with both Hermione and any female in his near vicinity. He was also incredibly intelligent. Hermione doesn’t remember a time where she was challenged on her opinions at such a deep level. Their conversations surrounding the books that Theo had been reading upon Hermione’s recommendation, had been so well-rounded that he had managed to change her opinion on a few books. She was due to meet Theo in an hour at their usual meeting spot, Fortescue’s. Since their first meeting, Hermione had started to relax in his presence and was less concerned with how she looked. She came to learn that Theo was not at stuck up as she once thought and found him to be very grounded. Well, as grounded as a pureblood elitist could be.

When she arrived at the restaurant, Theo was seated and had order Hermione her usual order of Tea with honey and crumpets.

“Good morning Theo” Hermione greeted with a hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“Good morning Princess. I took the liberty of ordering for you”

“that’s very kind of you. So, tell me, how did you like book on the Goblin wars?” Hermione questioned

“honestly, I was very surprised. I thought I had a fair understanding of the Goblin wars however so much more went into it than I anticipated” Theo admitted

“Right! I had the same realisation when I read it too. I had no idea that they had to fight so hard for their level of rights. I just assumed based on how they run Gringotts, that they have always received a high level of respect from wizarding folk”

“quite right. Goblin laws are much more protected than I ever thought imaginable. Imagine how it would change the quality of the lives of house elves if they received the same treatment and respect” Theo added

“House elves?”

“Yes. I know you didn’t grow up in the magical world Hermione, but you do know what a house elf is don’t you? We have them at Hogwarts in the kitchens?”

“of course, I know what house elves are, I was just shocked to hear you talk in favour of them receiving adequate rights. Excuse me ignorance, but I assumed that all pureblood families believed in house elves being nothing more than common slaves. They are usually treated poorly” Hermione stated feeling her anger bubble at the thought of the house elves living in poor conditions.

“please don’t misunderstand me; I do believe that house elves have a purpose to serve. However, that doesn’t mean that I agree with them being abused by their masters and not being treated accordingly” Theo responded slightly offended.

“if that is the case, can I ask, are your house elves free? Do you pay them a wage for serving your family?” Hermione argued

“I’d like to point out that they do not serve my family, only me, as I am the sole survivor of the Nott estate, but, yes my house elves are all free and are employed by me. I treat them with the upmost respect and kindness. It is true that my Father did not adhere to the same values that I do, but when he died in the war, I chose to make a change to the Nott values. I freed all our elves and most of them decided to remain serving me. I deposit their wages monthly into their Gringotts vaults. Their living quarters are also quite luxurious, for staff quarters if I may say so” Theo retorted with annoyance.

“wow Theo. That’s incredible. Please accept my apologies if I presented as rude. It’s just, I have always found elfish rights to be of a high importance and have never really found anyone with the same beliefs” Hermione admitted sheepishly.

“you’re forgiven Granger. I can hardly blame your prejudice considering your assumptions would be correct for a lot of pureblood households”

“still, I would not like to make a habit of underestimating you and your morals”.

They ate their breakfast and chatted for a while about the book.

“Hermione I actually had a proposition for you” Theo started

“oh, what would that be?”

“Well, I have really enjoyed receiving your recommendations over the last few weeks and decided to look through the Nott library for some recommendations of my own. I found several books that I believe you would like, that I have also not read myself. I wondered if you would like to start a book club of sorts where we can both read a selected book and discuss it the following week” Theo proposed

Hermione couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “that sounds great Theo! With your library and my shop, we should have a vast range of books to choose from”.

“exactly my thinking” Theo added with a soft smile. “I actually brought a suggestion with me. This is a journal written by Harold Cecil in 1817. He was an alchemist and he conducted a study to recreate Nicholas Flammel’s Philosophers Stone but for a different purpose. Instead of using it to create the Elixr of Life, Cecil aimed to create a portal between life and death. He lost his wife during childbirth and wanted to contact her for her views on raising their son” Theo explained

“that sounds fascinating. I would like to read it. Are you happy to discuss next week?”

“Yes. Would you like to come for dinner at my manor next Friday? We can discuss the journal and then visit the library to choose a book for the following week? I promise to act as the perfect gentleman”

“would you be cooking the dinner?” Hermione questioned

“Merlin no. Not unless you want your dinner with a side of Salmonella. Lula, my kitchen elf will prepare the dinner”

“Sure, I would love to” Hermione confirmed.

“Great, I will owl you with the details by Wednesday. Until then, happy reading Granger” Theo paid for the meal and bid Hermione goodbye.

Hermione spent the next week engrossed in the journal. She hadn’t been this interested in Alchemy since the trio discovered the Philosophers Stone in first year. On Tuesday she received an owl from Theo to advise that the floo would be open to her on Friday and to arrive at 7pm. She was beyond excited to see the manor as the last time she had been in such an extravagant place, was Malfoy Manor, and that was hardly a fond memory. She didn’t get a chance to admire the décor as she was too busy being tortured. She silently hoped that the Nott estate would not be too like Malfoy Manor as she didn’t want to trigger her memories of that fateful day.

On Friday evening she chose to wear a pair of fitted trousers and a satin blue blouse. She wasn’t sure if it were appropriate to wear casual jeans to dinner in a pureblood house so opted with smart casual. At 6.55, she stepped into the floo, threw down the powder and confidently called “Nott Manor”. In a roar of green flames, she transported to the first official book club meeting.


	7. The First Meeting

_14 th October 2002 _

Hermione stumbled out of the floo into a small lounge area. The floor was pure white marble which was a stark contrast to the jet-black furniture. There was a 3-piece sofa suite directly opposite the fireplace with a matching chaise lounge to the left. The walls were made up of beautiful oil paintings that had to be at least a hundred years ago. The room was empty, so Hermione used it as an opportunity to look around the room. In the alcove next to the fireplace was a side table with a crystal vase filled with fresh Lilies inside. The aroma of the flowers filled the entire room. The lighting was dim in here and didn’t look like it was used to relax much. A loud crack pulled Hermione out of her thoughts. She whipped round and saw a tiny house elf with bright green eyes staring back. The house elf was wearing a pale blue dress with a matching hat.

“Hello Miss, Master Nott is telling Nini to collect Miss when she arrives” the house elf spoke.

“Hello Nini, I am Hermione. It is a pleasure to meet you. I love your dress”

“wow thank you Miss Hermione! Nini has never received a compliment from a guest of Master Nott before. Master Nott is kind but not all his friends are”

“that will simply not do! I promise to always be kind to you Nini” Hermione promised

“Thank you, Miss Hermione. Master Nott asks Nini to show Miss Hermione to the Library”

“lead the way Nini”.

Hermione followed Nini through the hallway of the Manor. Just like the lounge, the floor was white marble with dark décor throughout the mansion. Hermione passed a wall of Nott family portraits and could hear the disgusted murmurs from Theo’s late relatives.

_“Disgusting mudblood”_

_"How dare she walk through this manor with her dirty blood? She is not worthy”_

_“Filth”_

Hermione rolled her eyes and sped past the portraits. She followed Nini round two corners before stopping in front of two huge mahogany wooded doors. Nini gestured for Hermione to enter the Library. She pushed open the doors and was confronted with rows upon rows of bookshelves. She looked up and noticed that there had to be at least 3 levels to the library. Hermione was in awe. When Theo mentioned he had a library, she didn’t dream of it being this extravagant. She couldn’t imagine how many books were in this room. It had to be thousands. She couldn’t see Theo through the stacks.

“Theo? It’s Hermione. Are you here?”

“Princess!” Theo rounded the corner grinning.

“must you call me that Theodore?”

“what? You _are_ the Gryffindor Princess, aren’t you?”

“I’m just a witch Theo”

“Nonsense. You are not just a witch, you are _the_ witch, therefore I shall address you as so” Theo quipped.

Hermione rolled her eyes and began walking towards the two arm chairs positioned directly by the fireplace.

“So, what did you make of the book?” Hermione asked taking a seat

“getting straight to business, are we?” chuckled Theo, taking a seat opposite Hermione.

“honestly, I have been dying to talk about the book all week. It is not something my friends would ever read so I’m practically bursting at the seams” Hermione gushed.

Theo smirked. “ok Granger, seeing as you’re giddy with excitement, why don’t you start us off”.

“Great! To start with, I thought Cecil’s research was a bit farfetched and I really didn’t think it would amount to much. However, the further into the journal that I got, I started to unpick his research and realised that he was missing one key element. The one thing that stopped him succeeding in his quest to create a portal to the afterlife”.

Theo nodded listening to Hermione ramble, “I thought the same thing. His estimation about the moon cycles having to line with the water in the atmosphere was correct but he didn’t account for the temperature of said water”.

“exactly! I began doing my own research on the temperature of the water in the atmosphere and found something interesting. I noticed that for the water levels to line up with the moon cycles without evaporating, the water temperature would have to have to be near freezing”

“meaning that a portal to the afterlife would only be feasible during the winter months” Theo finished.

“Yes. However, I felt that this couldn’t be the only way to create the portal as it seemed far too simple. So, I went back to the start of Cecil’s research, the part about the constellations”.

“you mean the constellation for Scutum?” Theo questioned

“Yes, that’s the one. Well I found out that Scutum means Shield. It is quite literally the shield to the afterlife. If you use this with Cecil’s original theory about moon cycles, you could plot the dates that a full moon _and_ Scutum will be visible together, then use a pairing charm on a mirror, much like the mirror of erised, it will act as a communication portal. Thus-

“creating a portal to the afterlife” Theo added. “I came to the same conclusion but didn’t want to mention it in fear that it would be wrong. However, as you reached the same conclusion, I’d be inclined to say that the calculations must be correct”.

“Theo, you understand what this means don’t you?”

Theo nodded.

“we may have just found a way to create a portal between the living and dead. We could make alchemical history”.

“not just alchemical history Granger, wizarding history” Theo mused.

Theo and Hermione sat staring at each other for a few moments before Theo broke the silence.

“Granger, whilst this discovery would be incredible for our careers, I can’t help but feel that sharing this knowledge with the world, would only open opportunities for dark magic to taint it. Imagine if one of the dark lord’s idle followers used this information to contact him, thus enabling him to rise from the dead or lead another dark revolution”.

Hermione’s breath stilted.

“Theo, do you think we should keep this to ourselves?” Hermione wondered

“I do yes. I cannot order you what to do Granger, but I don’t think we would survive another war. Especially with the last one still so fresh”.

Hermione silently agreed. They were interrupted by a pop of apparition.

“Nini is telling Master Nott and Miss Hermione that dinner is ready and will be served in the dining room”.

“Thank you Nini, we will be right along” Theo responded.

Theo lead Hermione out of the library and towards the dining room. The dining room was huge. It must be bigger than Hermione’s entire flat. Whilst the table was only set for two, it could have held at least 30 people at any one time. Theo pulled Hermione’s chair out before tucking it back in once she was seated. He then took a seat directly opposite.

“Wine Miss?” Nini asked.

“Yes, please Nini” Hermione smiled.

“Master Nott?”

“Yes please”

Nini poured the twosome their wine before popping away to collect their first course. The first course was Potato and Leek soup. The moment Nini placed it in front of Hermione, she was practically salivating. She didn’t recall ever smelling soup so wonderful before.

“How was your week Granger? Business busy?”

“fine thank you. The shop has been slow this week, just as well as it gave me time to read the journal and conduct all that research” Hermione grinned.

“silver lining aye? I heard the Harpies were thrashed this week by the Cannons. Doesn’t Weasley’s sister play for them?” Theo asked.

“Yes, Ginny has been playing for the Harpies for quite some time now. Are they your team?”

“oh no, I’m a Magpies man myself. I didn’t take you for a Quidditch fan”

“you’d be correct. I only watch the games to support Ginny, but I really have no idea what’s happening most of the time” Hermione joked

“The Hermione Granger? Not knowing what’s happening? Do my ears deceive me?” Theo mocked.

“very funny Theodore. I have never been a fan of any sports really. My dad once took me to a cricket game when I was 8 but I fell asleep in the stands”

“cricket?”

“it’s a muggle sport. You might enjoy it actually”

“possibly”.

“you know, if you wanted to come to a Harpies game, I’d be more than happy to bring you. Every player gets a viewing box for the use of family and friends, so we tend to go to every game. Just let me know if you would like to join us” Hermione offered.

“Potter and Weasley wouldn’t have a problem with me turning up?”

“Not if I invited you. They trust my judgement and if I say you are a friend, they will accept that”

“Thanks Granger”.

They finished their soup and it was quickly cleared away and replaced with the main course. Salmon with winter vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes. This was just as delectable as the soup. Hermione almost asked for a takeaway bag of leftovers as she enjoyed it so much.

“you know Theo, I don’t believe you’ve ever told me what you do for work, or are you just independently rich?” Hermione asked

“that’s because you’ve never asked Princess. Yes, I am independently rich however I work within the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry. I deal with Foreign Affairs” Theo answered.

“that’s great Theo. I’m sure you are great at your job since you definitely have the charm”

“are you flirting with me Princess?” Theo smirked

Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled.

“Do you work with anyone from school? Or keep in contact with anyone from school for that matter?” Hermione questioned.

“Blaise Zabini works in my department actually. We’ve been friends since babies. I also keep in contact with Draco, Pansy, Adrian and Daphne. Apart from those, I don’t tend to keep in contact with anyone. Being on different sides of the war, we were shunned from society. When we were “accepted” back, I suppose we didn’t really reach out any further than we had to” Theo explained.

“that’s awful Theo. Whilst I can’t pretend that I was always willing to be friends with anyone affiliated with Voldemort, I never agreed with you or the other’s being shunned. You were children, just the same as us. None of us should have been forced to pick sides in the first place”

“honestly, it doesn’t bother me. We made our choices and now we must live with them. It’s not like we had any friends outside of a group prior to the war. Slytherin’s may be self-preserving, but we are as loyal as the come. More loyal than Hufflepuffs. They are my family, so I have never felt that I needed anyone else” Theo admitted.

Hermione didn’t know what to say so she just smiled softly.

After dinner they made their way back to the library to choose another book for next week’s discussion. The agreed to both find a selection of books to bring back for deliberation. Hermione had a hard time picking less than 5 books for the final count. When she made it back to the armchairs, it seemed that Theo had the same struggle as he was levitating 7 books. It took them 2 hours to finally agree. They had chosen an autobiography written by Agatha Allrey, a famous “muggle expert” from the early 1920’s. Hermione was intrigued to discover whether Agatha really was an expert of if her findings were going to be incorrect, as many self-proclaimed “muggle experts” happened to be. They agreed to meet at Hermione’s flat next Friday evening, with Hermione promising to cook dinner. She floo’d back to her flat just after 12am, crawling straight into bed. The wine she drank with dinner eased her mind into a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks.


	8. Amnesia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update today guys:)

_20 th October 2002 _

“Mione! Mione, over here!”

Hermione turned to the direction of her name and saw Ginny waving her over. Ginny had owled her earlier in the week and persuaded her to join Ginny, Luna and Romilda for a girl’s night at the newly opened wizarding bar near Piccadilly circus. It was the wizarding communities take on a sports bar. There were holographic projectors hovering in the air, showing various Quidditch matches on the walls, a corner set up for wizard chess matches and a pool table in the middle of the room. Wizarding pool was much like muggle pool, however instead of cues, the players used their wands. The three witches were sat to the right of the bar in a large booth. Romilda slide further into the booth to make room for Hermione. Ginny slid a lilac coloured drink to her before she even had a chance to take her coat off.

“thanks Gin, what is it?”

“Purple rain. Apparently, it’s a muggle drink. It’s quite good actually”

Hermione shed her coat and scarf, quickly taking a sip of the cocktail.

“Merlin that’s strong” Hermione grimaced

The three girls giggled and agreed.

“How have you been Hermione? I haven’t seen you since the opening of the shop” Luna asked

“well thank you Luna, just been busy with business. How are you? How’s the Quibbler?”

“I’m fine. We have recently had an infestation of Wackspurts at daddy’s house so that took some time to deal with. The paper is great, we are interviewing Trelawny next week as she has had a vision about Nargles taking over Hogsmead” Luna responded airily.

“Ah, that’s…that’s great Luna. Sounds like you have a lot to look forward to” Hermione added.

Hermione had always been fond of Luna. Yes, she is weird and constantly away with the fairies, but she was so pure and kind. Hermione had always admired the way that Luna was so unapologetically herself. She was currently wearing a yellow jumper dress, with green striped tights and red heels. The woman was a complete eyesore, but she looked so content in herself that Hermione would never dream of telling her.

The four women chatted over drinks for the next couple of hours, getting more and more inebriated. It was Hermione’s turn to get a round of drinks, so she slid out the booth and ambled her way through the crowd of people and over to the bar. She had been waiting for around 5 minutes when she felt a presence directly behind her right shoulder.

“fancy seeing you here Princess”

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see Theo smirking down at her.

“Theo!” Hermione beamed

“what brings you here on a work night Granger?” Theo teased

“girls night” Hermione answered pointing to her friends at the other side of the bar. “what about you? I would never have expected to see you in muggle London”

“on the contrary Granger, we may be in muggle London, but this is a wizarding bar. Therefore, there is large stock of Fire whiskey. How could I _not_ visit?”

Hermione rolled her eyes before grabbing the attention of the barman. Hermione ordered drinks for the girls and a Fire whiskey for Theo.

“Make that 4 whiskey’s mate” Theo spoke.

“four?”

“you didn’t think I was here on my todd did you Granger?” Theo said raising an eyebrow

“Oh, I guess not. Who are you drinking with tonight then”

“The snakes” Theo grinned gesturing towards the back tables.

Hermione tilted her head to see who he was pointing at. Sat at a far table was a dark-skinned man who Hermione recognised to be Blaise Zabini. _Wow, when did he get so hot?_ Next to him was Adrian Pucey. Pucey had also matured well. He was broad with beautiful curly chestnut brown locks. Hermione didn’t interact with Pucey much at school, but she did remember that he was on the Quidditch team. Hermione moved to the body opposite Blaise and Adrian and froze.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

There, sat as poised and confident as ever, was Draco Malfoy. God, he was still so bloody perfect. He had too broadened with age. His once skinny frame was now full and intimidating. She could tell from where she was standing that he was muscular. His face was no longer pointy but strong and defined. This is the first time Hermione had seen Draco since his trial after the war. Both Hermione and Harry had spoken in his defence for his actions that night at Malfoy Manor. He didn’t return for 8th year and the only time she had caught a glimpse of him was in the Daily Prophet or Witches’ Weekly.

“Hermione?” Theo called shaking her from her trance.

“Huh?”

“your drinks?” Theo said slowly. “Everything ok?”

“huh? Oh yes, everything’s fine. Sorry. Where’s the barman gone, I need to pay still” Hermione rushed

“I paid already Granger. You sure you’re ok? You’re looking a little pale?”

“no no I’m fine. Probably just had a bit much to drink that’s all” Hermione said smiling

“Ok if you’re sure. Mind if we join you? I know the boys wouldn’t mind catching up with the Hogwarts’s Hero’s”

“Oh, um, yes I guess that would be fine” Hermione started to panic. How could she sit across from Draco after eye-fucking him from across the room? She started to feel herself blush at the thought.

Theo moved towards the Slytherin’s to inform them of the plan. Hermione dashed to the girls with their drinks and mumbled the news to them. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to mind. Ginny was especially pleased as she claimed to always fancy Blaise at school.

“Gin, have you forgotten about one thing?” Romilda asked

“what’s that?”

“Harry?”

“Oh, stop it you know I’m only window shopping. I don’t intend to purchase the goods” Ginny giggled.

The girls laughed loudly at this, knowing full well Ginny would not be subtle when ogling Zabini. The four wizards strolled over at this point and began pulling up chairs.

“Ladies. Nice to see you all again” Blaise smirked

What is it about Slytherin’s and smirking? Was there a pureblood class they took as toddlers on how to smirk correctly?

“Zabini” Ginny spoke with a smirk of her own.

The conversation was awkward and forced to start with however as the drinks flowed, the tense atmosphere seemed to fade. Hermione avoided Draco’s eyes always. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. The last time she made eye contact with him was on his drawing room floor. She has never been able to forget those conflicted grey eyes piercing her soul whilst she struggled and whimpered against Bellatrix’s knife. As it happens, Draco hadn’t spoke more than a handful of words himself. He seemed to be completely uncomfortable sitting with this group. She wondered whether it was because they fought on opposite sides of the war or because he felt they were beneath his company.

“lighten up Malfoy, you look like the Dark Lord has just risen” Blaise mocked

The group sniggered as Malfoy shot Blaise a deathly glare.

“Apologies Zabini, I was just thinking about whether to accept your mother’s proposal. That would make me Husband number…9? Is that correct?” Draco retorted

Theo and Adrian snorted whilst Hermione looked shocked.

“8 Husbands? Merlin” Hermione mumbled

“Ms Zabini is terribly unlucky Princess. She falls in love with these men who mysteriously die after 2 years marriage” Theo explained.

“Princess? Since when were you two so cosy?” asked Adrian

“Since August. We have a book club” Theo responded sticking his tongue out at Adrian.

“a book club? Who’s in it?” Draco spoke

“Just me and Granger currently. We haven’t met anyone else intelligent enough to join” Theo mused. “Isn’t that right Granger”

“Quite. Although, I would just be happy to invite anyone that has read a complete book before” Hermione added with a grin.

Hermione saw Draco’s eyes narrow in her peripheral vision in Theo’s direction. The conversation quickly changed to their days at Hogwarts. A friendly banter had started between the groups as they all remembered their bickering and fighting as teens.

“who remembers when Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret?” Blaise roared

“Fuck sake Blaise are you ever going to let that go?” groaned Draco

The entire group was laughing at the memory when Ginny added “Ron use to call him the great bouncing ferret”. This set the group off into hysterics. All except Draco of course.

The chatted and laughed way into the night before Romilda announced that she really had to be heading home as she was working an early shift the next day. The group agreed that it was best to get going and settled their bar tabs. Theo and Hermione exchanged goodbyes citing to see each other tomorrow at 7pm. The last thing Hermione saw before the green flames of the floo sucked her away, was a pair of grey eye staring straight into hers. 


	9. A New Member

_21 st October 2002 _

Hermione decided on a Mexican dinner theme. She made Enchilada’s and Nachos for the main courses. She had spent a great deal of time preparing homemade salsa and guacamole for a starter. She popped some freshly sliced bread in the oven to toast for the dips. She was staring at two different bottles of wine trying to decide which would pair better with the food when the fireplace roared to life in her lounge. She walked through the flat into the living room to see Theo step out of the floo in a pair of dark denim jeans with a white shirt.

“Evening Theodore. I must say, I am pleasantly surprised to see that you own denims” Hermione chuckled.

“What can I say Granger? I live to be unpredictable”

The both laughed, and Hermione led Theo through to the kitchen.

“Dinner smells great, what are we having?” Theo asked.

“Mexican. The bread for the starter should be ready any minute now. Are you hungry?”

“Famished”

“Great. Wine?” Hermione asked Theo.

“Please”

Hermione chose the white wine as they would be having chicken. Admittedly, she knew nothing about wine other than the basic rule of white for white meat and red for dark meat. Theo took the wine happily, so Hermione guessed that she picked correctly. The oven timer chimed, and she quickly took the bread out and arranged it on a serving platter containing the dips. She gestured towards the small dining area and placed the food in the middle of the table.

“Dig in” Hermione encouraged.

Theo wasted no time in tearing some bread and heading straight for the salsa.

“This is delicious Granger. Did you make the dips yourself?”

“Thank you, yes I did. It’s quite simple really. I could teach you if you’d like?”

“No thanks. Draco tried to teach me how to make soup last year and I set the stove alight” Theo laughed

“Malfoy knows how to cook? Doesn’t he have house elves for that?”

“Narcissa taught him. She liked to cook for Draco and his Father on special occasions”

Hermione was surprised to hear that Narcissa wasn’t as “pureblood” as she seemed. The thought of Narcissa slaving over a dinner on Lucius’ birthday seemed overly muggle.

“Speaking of Draco, he approached me after you left last night asking to join our book club. I told him I would check with you first to make sure you were comfortable before agreeing” Theo explained.

“Malfoy wants to join? I didn’t realise he was bookish?” Hermione said curiously.

“Hermione do you not remember that he was only ever a handful of points behind you throughout our entire schooling career? You two fought for the top spot in every class” Theo reminded

“I guess your right”

“Does that mean you are ok with him joining the club?” Theo asked

“Umm…well…that depends. If he is going to insult me and call me a mudblood when I have a differing opinion, then I don’t think I would enjoy his company very much”

“Granger, he has changed an awful lot since the war. We all have. He isn’t the same arrogant bully that you remember. I can promise you that he doesn’t use language like that anymore”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Just how you said you would vouch for me to Potter and Weasley, I can vouch for Malfoy. He really has changed Hermione. I’m not saying he won’t insult you, but he will not insult you based on your heritage. That I can guarantee” Theo reasoned.

“Fine, he can join. But if I so much as feel that he crosses the line, he’s out” Hermione stated sternly.

“I’ll kick him out myself” Theo smiled softly.

The rest of the evening was spent discussing the inaccuracies that Allrey stated in her book about muggle culture, eating the dinner Hermione had prepared and drinking wine. Theo was fascinated to learn about muggle technology. Hermione explained how televisions worked, citing that they were quite like the projectors used in the bar from the previous night. Theo couldn’t understand how it worked until Hermione took him through to her lounge and turned on the TV. She showed him how to use the remote to change channels and explained what tv shows and films were. Theo’s face was full of wonder, reminding Hermione of a small child. Once Hermione had shown Theo some muggle sports channels, he was demanding to know where he could buy such equipment. Hermione promised to take Theo shopping in muggle London one day to buy one for the manor.

Theo did not bring any suggestions for next week’s book, so Hermione checked her study for some inspiration. As always, she was drawn to classic muggle literature. She had been unsure whether Theo would be willing to read anything muggle written but seeing his reaction to the TV, she thought it was worth a shot. She grabbed her copy of Pride and Prejudice and strolled back to the lounge to find Theo watching Grease.

“Granger, why do these people look so old? They are meant to be teenagers. Also, why do they keep singing in the middle of conversations?”

Hermione giggled and tried to explain what musicals were. Once Theo was thoroughly sated and vaguely understood, Hermione handed him the book.

“This is a classic muggle book. I wasn’t sure if you would want to read muggle literature, but I really think you’d enjoy this one. It has strong themes about classism and romance” said Hermione.

“Sounds great. I will let Draco know. I really appreciate you giving him a chance Hermione. I know he was a complete arse at school, but once you get to know him, I’m sure you two would really get on”

“we’ll see Theo. Everyone deserves a second chance I guess”.

With that, Theo said his goodbye’s and floo’d home. Hermione waved her wand to clean the kitchen as it was in a state from dinner. She settled in front of the TV and tried to stop her mind from wandering to the platinum haired snake that was about to re-enter her life. She really hoped that they would be able to move forward from their past, but she was hesitant to put any hope in his supposedly “changed ways”. She promised Theo that she would give him a chance, so that’s exactly what she would do. One chance and one chance only.


	10. The Visit

_22 nd October 2002 _

Hermione had just received a delivery from her supplier of the brand-new _Hogwarts: A History_ book. It had been revised to include the second wizarding war. Hermione displayed a few copies in the window and placed the rest in her stock room. The shop had been quiet today, so she took the time to flick through the new chapters. Herself, Harry and Ron were mentioned a lot, as were Dumbledore’s Army. She skipped the parts about Draco and the vanishing cabinet as she didn’t want to bring up old wounds just as she had decided to give him a second chance.

She was reading the chapter about how Snape managed to deceive Voldemort for years when the bell at the front door rang. She looked up from the book to offer a greeting but all she could do was open and close her mouth. Stood on her welcome mat was Malfoy. He was staring at her hesitantly as if he wanted to turn straight back around and run out the door. He was wearing a dark, tailored suit. Somethings never change. They both stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was probably only seconds before Hermione broke the silence.

“Good afternoon Malfoy”

“Granger” he nodded

“Looking for something in particular?” she queried

“Yes actually. I am looking for a copy of Pride and Prejudice, for our book club” Draco said walking towards the desk.

“Of course, it will be in the classic section of the muggle books. All muggle books are to the left” Hermione gestured.

Draco nodded looking towards the book shelves.

“would you like me to grab it for you?” Hermione asked

“if you wouldn’t mind, unfortunately I’m not even aware of the author” Draco confessed looking slightly embarrassed

Hermione nodded and made her way through the shelves. She noticed that Draco was following her slowly. She found the classic section and quickly located the Jane Austen novel.

“here you are” Hermione passed the book to Draco.

“Thanks, I’ll start reading it this evening”

“Great”

They stood staring at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

“would you like me to ring that up for you?” Hermione asked

“I think I’m going to take a look around, if that’s ok with you?” Draco questioned

“of course, yes, of course. Just bring any books to the register once you’re done”

“I do know how a bookshop works Granger” Draco responded with a faint hint of a smile

Hermione rolled her eyes and made her way back to the front desk. The entire time Draco was in the shop, she felt like she couldn’t relax. She couldn’t see him but felt self-conscious of every move she made. She busied herself with inventory whilst keeping one eye on the muggle section. After 45 agonising minutes, Draco reappeared in front of the desk with a stack of books.

“updating your library?” Hermione asked with narrowed eyes

“something like that”

“are you aware that these are all muggle books?” Hermione asked

“yes, I am well aware” Draco responded impatiently.

Hermione rang up the books in silence until she reached the last one, the Velveteen Rabbit. She smiled and softly stroked the cover.

“is there a problem Granger?”

“No no, no problem. It’s just, this was my Mother’s favourite book. She used to read it to me before bed when I was small” Hermione said quietly

“was? It’s not her favourite anymore?” Draco asked

“I lost my parents in the war” Hermione didn’t care to explain how she lost them, it’s not like they were friends. At least not yet anyway.

Draco was quiet and looked like he was waring with his mind.

“I am very grateful that you agreed for me to join your book club Granger. I understand that Theo has explained that I don’t hold blood purist views any longer. I just wanted to point this out personally” Draco said without making eye contact.

“You don’t need to be grateful, you just need to be respectful. As I explained to Theo, if you are civil towards me, I have no reason to hold any malice towards you. Hate is better left in the past, don’t you think?”

“Agreed”.

Draco paid for his books and began walking to the front door. He reached for the handle but before he opened the door, he turned to Hermione and winked,

“See you on Friday”

Hermione blushed furiously as she watched him leave the shop and turn left down the street. She scolded herself for her reaction. She was a grown woman acting like a silly schoolgirl just because she was winked at. How utterly pathetic. She inwardly groaned and hoped to Merlin that she could get herself together before Friday.

She spent the rest of the afternoon finishing _Hogwarts: A History._ The end of the book contained a dedication to all those who lost their lives during the war. It contained the name of every man, woman and child that was murdered at the hands of evil. She only made it part way through the dedication before suffering a panic attack. She hadn’t had a panic attack for some time now. After the war, she had them daily, sometimes multiple times a day. In the beginning, she kept them to herself as she felt ashamed. Betrayed. Betrayed by her own mind. She knew that her attacks were purely psychological which is why she felt so ashamed. She was strong and hadn’t let fighting in a war as a teenager break her, but now her mind was cracking under the trauma. Harry and Ron eventually found out about her anxiety and forced her to begin seeing the same healer as George. Hermione only saw the Healer 4 times but found that talking about her experiences, only induced more attacks. In true Hermione fashion, she found refuge in mind healing books. She read and researched trauma induced panic attacks, eventually finding methods of coping that worked for her.

She decided to shut the shop early after her panic attack as they often led to migraines. She apparated home and opted for a hot bath to relieve her. The heat of the bath seemed to clear her sinuses and prevent the migraine from coming. She spent the rest of the evening re-reading Pride and Prejudice. Realistically, she didn’t need to read it again for the book club as she could recite it cover to cover, but it was one of her comfort books, which is why she suggested it to Theo in the first place. She secretly hoped that Theo and Malfoy would both enjoy the book as it physically pained her to hear anyone slate it. She kept going over her interaction with Malfoy in her head. She thought he seemed off. From what she could tell anyway, it’s not like she ever knew him very well. The fact that he bought a selection of muggle books had plagued Hermione’s mind all day. Surely, he wasn’t interested in “catching up” with what muggles had read? Maybe it was to keep up appearances that he really had changed his views. Despite his civility, Hermione was more than apprehensive about the next book club meeting.


	11. Anticipation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I had annual leave from work so spent the time chilling out. 
> 
> Enjoy 3 new chapters to make up for the wait:)

_26 th October 2002 _

Hermione had spent the best part of her week anxious and unfocused. No matter what task she did to occupy her mind, she couldn’t stop her mind wandering back to Malfoy. Not just Malfoy, Theo too. Whilst she had accepted her friendship with Theo and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him, she couldn’t help but feel confused at the sudden turn of events. If anyone had told her 2 years ago that she would be spending her Friday nights with the Slytherins’, she would have committed them to the Janus Thickey ward; and yet, she couldn’t help but look forward to the book club every week.

This Friday would be held at Theo’s again. Hermione was relieved that Malfoy hadn’t suggested hosting at Malfoy Manor as she didn’t think she was quite ready to return yet. Ever really. The last thing she wanted was for Malfoy and Theo to see her have a panic attack. She felt that her PTSD was her biggest weakness, and she was not prepared to advertise this to her new friends. Friends. She wondered if Malfoy counted as her friend? Perhaps not, but maybe in time.

She was laid up on her sofa reading Pride and Prejudice when her mobile rang. She reached across the coffee table to look at the caller ID. _Ginny_. Being pureblood, Ginny had never had any interaction with muggle technology, but Harry and Hermione had tried to introduce the Weasley’s to the 21st century. Ginny, George and Arthur seemed to pick it up right away, whereas the others struggled to grasp the concept of a mobile phone. Ginny had bought her own one so that she could keep in contact with Harry when she was travelling for work. Hermione was the only other person Ginny ever called.

“Hey Gin”

“Mione I’m up shit’s creek!” Ginny all but yelled

Hermione instantly panicked. Since the war, whenever her friends were distressed, she couldn’t help but prepare herself for the worst possible scenario.

“what’s happened? Where are you? Are you safe?” Hermione fired questions at the ginger girl

“what question do you want me to answer first?”

“are you safe?”

“yes but no. Technically I am but if I don’t rectify this situation my mother is going to have my head” Ginny stressed

“calm down and tell me what’s happened? And what does this have to do with Molly?”

“well, me and Harry went out the other week for dinner and had quite a lot of wine. When we got home we had the most incredible sex-

“Gin…please skip this part” Hermione groaned

“Hermione, I promise it’s relevant”

Hermione didn’t respond, waiting for Ginny to continue with the story.

“We literally tore each other’s clothes off and barely made it to the bedroom before we were going at it like rabbits. But in all the haste, I forgot to cast the contraceptive charm”

“but I thought you took the potion every week?” Hermione questioned

“I usually do but I had run out and didn’t have a chance to get any more…now im late”

“late?”

“YES HERMIONE IM LATE! LATE ON MY PERIOD” Ginny screeched

“NO!”

“YES” Ginny started crying. “I can’t be pregnant ‘Mione. I’ve only just started my career and we aren’t married yet. Merlin, we aren’t even engaged. My Mum is going to murder me”

“Ginny calm down. Have you done a test?”

“No, I’m too scared”

“Gin, it might be nothing. You’ve been quite stressed with quidditch lately, so it may just be an adverse effect. I really wouldn’t worry too much yet” Hermione placated her friend

“do you think so?”

“its possible. I mean, you’re only like 3 days late right?” Hermione questioned

“yeah 3 days”

“well then, there’s still time for you to come on. I’m sure it will all be fine” Hermione secretly had her fingers crossed.

“I suppose you’re right. Tell me about your week to distract me. How’s book club?”

“it’s going great actually. Although, we have a new member. One that I’m not exactly thrilled about to be honest” Hermione confessed.

“who? I’m sure its not as bad as you think”

Hermione took a steadying breath and readied herself for Ginny to go off on a tangent.

“Draco Malfoy”

“Sorry, I think I may have had a stroke because I thought you said Draco Malfoy?”

“you heard correctly”

“Bloody hell. Well I wasn’t expecting that”

“neither was I when Theo asked if he could join us” Hermione said

“how do you feel about it? I know you use to be in love with him” Ginny stated

“I was never in love with him Ginny. I just found him attractive. Plus, that was a long time ago you know this”

“still, how do you feel about it?”

“I’m nervous. He came into the shop on Saturday-

“HE CAME INTO THE SHOP?”

“Yes Ginny. If you’d let me finish I would explain”

Ginny grumbled an apology encouraging Hermione to continue.

“he bought quite a lot of books. Muggle books to be exact. He was very polite and told me that he doesn’t believe in blood purity anymore”

“strange”

“what’s strange?”

“that he felt the need to tell you he didn’t think you had dirty blood anymore”

“well that’s not what he said Gin is it”

“well he might as well have. He hinted at it”

Hermione didn’t respond, just pondered what she had said.

“well, do you think you could actually be friends with him? I mean, in the way you are friends with Theo?” Ginny asked

“I don’t know Gin. Potentially I guess. I never thought I would be friends with Theo but obviously I was wrong. But for me to be friends with Malfoy, he would have to have really changed”

“hmm”

“I can hear the cogs turning in your brain from here Ginevra. Spill it”

“nothing. I just think its strange timing is all. I mean he’s no longer with Astoria, Theo has already paved the way for a truce of sorts…”

“Gin, I know what you are implying. I highly doubt this has all been a ploy by Malfoy to get close to me. You mention the fact that he’s single as if we were teenage sweethearts or something. He loathed me. always did. You know this”

“yeah I guess. A girl can dream of a fairy tale romance, though right?”

Hermione chuckled. They wrapped up their conversation with Hermione promising to catch up with Ginny in a few days regarding her late visitor. She tried not to dwell on what Ginny had said about the convenient timing. There’s no way that Draco Malfoy has ever given Hermione Granger a passing thought apart from how to make her life miserable. Has he?


	12. The Snake Pit

_28 th October 2002 _

_Friday. Fuck it’s Friday._ Hermione had been dreading and looking forward to this day all week. She spent the entire day at the shop looking at the clock. The closer it got to 7pm, the more her hands clammed up and her chest tightened. Why was she reacting so strongly? It’s just Malfoy. _Come on Hermione, it’s just Malfoy. He’s hardly scary. He was always a raging coward at school. I doubt that’s something he has changed about himself._ Hermione had been having this constant argument in her head all week.

What is she so afraid of?

She knew what she was afraid of. She was afraid that she was going to see he had changed and that she enjoyed his company. It felt wrong that she could potentially form a friendship with this man. Maybe something more. _No stop it Hermione for Christ sake._

When she closed the shop for the day, she went to the nearest wizarding supermarket to choose a bottle of wine. She thought about taking a muggle wine but thought she may be pushing her luck. They were already reviewing a muggle book, best not rock the boat too early. She picked a rich and full-bodied Merlot. This brand was made by elves. She may not like that elves were subject to manually labour, but she had to hand it to them, they did make some incredible wine.

She apparated home with plenty of time to take a shower and get herself ready. She reverted to panicking about her outfit. She knew Theo could care less about her attire, but she knew Draco would judge her for wearing muggle denims. She had half a mind to wear them just to spite him. She settled on a maroon tight knitted dress, black tights and heeled ankle boots. Her hair was in a high bun, somewhat messy, but it still looked like she made the effort to tame her locks. It took her so long to choose an outfit that she ran out of time to do any makeup. She supposed it was for the best as she probably would have taken it too far in her anxious state.

She paced around her living room until 7pm exactly before flooing over to Nott Manor, wine in hand.

Nini was already standing in the lounge waiting for greet Hermione when she arrived. Nini beamed up at her offering her many “hello’s”.

Hermione mindlessly followed Nini through the manor into the library, much like the first meeting. She could hear two masculine voices. Malfoy is already here. Oh god, here come the sweaty palms again. Hermione entered the library with a false look of confidence plastered on her face.

“Evening boys” Hermione quipped, instantly regretting calling them boys. It was _far_ too friendly.

“Ah Princess, you finally graced up with your presence” Theo said mockingly

“I am perfectly on time Theo, Malfoy must have been early” Hermione gestured towards Draco

“Early I was. Evening Granger” Draco nodded.

Draco and Hermione stood blinking at each other for a few moments before Theo broke the silence.

“here I thought it was going to be awkward. It’s not awkward at all is it” Theo said looking eagerly between the pair.

“it wasn’t until you opened your big mouth” Draco rolled his eyes at Theo.

“if I hadn’t opened my mouth, who knows how long you two would have stared lovingly into each other’s eyes”

Hermione choked on air whilst Draco shot Theo a murderous glare. Theo grinned menacingly before gesturing towards the seating area. Hermione noticed that a third chair had appeared next to the fireplace that hadn’t been there last time. They all took a seat before pulling out a copy of the book each.

“who wants to go first? I’m really interested to hear both of your thoughts as I have read this book at least 8 times. I must admit, I chose this book because I fell in love with it when I was still in primary school”

“primary school?” Draco asked puzzled

“oh sorry I forget that primary school isn’t a thing in the wizarding world. In the muggle world, children attend school from age 5 till 11. This is primary school. After 11, they attend secondary school until 16. Then they have the option to go into further education. Unlike wizarding society, primary school is mandatory for all children” Hermione explained

“fascinating. 5 seems terribly young for a child to be away from their homes” said Draco

“well muggle children usually attend a school close to home and return back to their parents every night. Only the wealthy families tend to send their children to boarding school. Which is what Hogwarts would be deemed. Where children stay on site”

“how odd” Theo concluded.

“Anyway, back to the book. What did you both think?” Hermione questioned

Draco cleared his throat before beginning, “well I was pleasantly surprised. When I first started the book, I took an instant dislike to Darcy. I couldn’t understand why a man so arrogant and pompous, would have women falling at his feet”.

“because he is very high up in society-

“I was getting there Granger” Draco smirked

“Elizabeth really was out of his league, personality wise, even if she didn’t match him in terms of class. However, I thought it was very clever how it showed the way love can grow and change and be manipulated”

Hermione and Theo nodded along as Draco spoke.

“I found it more interesting how societal classes are described and portrayed. Muggle society sounds very much like wizarding society. It’s very cutthroat and superficial. How artificial the marriages are. More like business deals than romance stories” Theo added.

“I’m glad you picked up on the themes of class. You’re right Theo, muggle society doesn’t differ much from the magical community however, muggle society has moved on quite extraordinarily from these views. The themes in the book are very old fashioned in muggle society and it isn’t as important anymore. Whereas the wizarding society, still hold the same views that were held probably 200 years ago”

“I suppose you are correct. Classism is still rife in our community; however, I do believe it has moved on. Specifically, since the war. Blood isn’t as important as it once was. Or as it once was believed to be. Yes, we still separate wizards and witches by wealth, and we do identify blood characteristics, however, it isn’t as frowned upon to be a half blood, or muggle-born any longer” Draco stated.

“I agree. Whilst I am sure that some older wizarding families still believe it is almost a sin to marry or procreate outside of your blood group, most families are trying to move past these views” Hermione confirmed.

“I find it amusing that you chose this book for us Princess, themes of classism, wealth, an arrogant male lead. I do wonder what you were trying to convey” Theo teased.

Hermione blushed.

“Ok, I may have had ulterior motives. I may have wanted to point out similarities between the wizarding and muggle worlds. Plus, how ludicrous classism is” Hermione admitted

“plus, the fact that Mr Darcy is a carbon copy of one, Draco Malfoy?” Theo snorted

“What?” Hermione and Draco both asked

“don’t tell me you didn’t realise that Draco and Fitzwilliam are practically the same person? Minus the wizard part of course”

“I mean, I can’t say that I noticed. However, now that you mention it, I do see the similarities” said Hermione.

“Hold on. I am nothing like that complete arsehole!” Malfoy contested.

“you’re not filthy rich, arrogant and incredibly rude?” Theo narrowed his eyebrows.

“well, yes I am rich and rude, but I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m arrogant”

“I would” Hermione and Theo both said before bursting into laughter.

“anyway, Darcy clearly doesn’t have my dashing looks”

“yep, not arrogant at all” Hermione said

Draco rolled his eyes and huffed. Nini popped into the library to announce that dinner was ready. Hermione thought this was perfect timing as she was preparing herself for Draco to start insulting them both.

Once again, the dinner was incredible. Hermione was considering getting herself a kitchen elf if it meant having decadent dinners every night. She found the conversation flowed effortlessly during dinner and felt very comfortable sitting opposite Draco. He did tease her about whether she knew the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork, but she quickly flipped him off, earning a chuckle from Theo. They threw around suggestions for their next book during dinner but none of them could agree. They eventually agreed to let Draco check the manor library and for him to owl them the book before Monday.

Hermione confirmed that she would host next week and would provide dinner. Draco looked slightly uncomfortable when Hermione gave him her address and advised that she would readjust her floo parameters so that he would be allowed entrance.

She floo’d home and immediately changed the floo wards. She never thought she would be adding Draco Malfoy to her list of approved visitors, but she supposed that this is what they fought in the war for. A new, equal wizarding world. The war may have taken a lot from everyone, but without it, this new budding friendship would never have been allowed to happen. Draco and Theo would have sooner been disowned than allowed to have a muggle-born friend. It was small moments like these, that made Hermione proud of the positive changes that have happened due to their efforts. 


	13. Confusion

_29 th October 2002_

“Morning golden girl” Ginny sang as she walked through the door of the bookshop

“You’re in a good mood” Hermione observed

“why wouldn’t I be? It’s Saturday, practice was great this morning and I have had a visit from Mother Nature herself”

“you’re not pregnant?”

“Nope, my period arrived yesterday, thank Morgana!” Ginny grinned

“Thank God! Honestly, I was worried that Molly might kidnap both you and Harry and force you to marry” Hermione chuckled

“don’t even joke about that, you know what she’s like. She still hates that we live together out of wedlock” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“anyway, enough about me, tell me about your dinner with Mr Rich and Dreamy” Ginny teased

“it was actually pleasant. Apart from the initial greetings, it wasn’t awkward at all. He was civil. More than civil. He even teased me over dinner” Hermione mused

“teased you? Like how he teased you at school?”

“obviously not, He teased me about the cutlery. He also made some profound comment on the book we were reading. It was themed around classism and romance. He made some interesting links between the book and our society”

“interesting. Did Theo not turn up this week?”

“Of course, he did, it was at his house. Why do you ask?”

“oh no reason, just that you haven’t mentioned Theo’s comments or his teasing. Just the conversations with the great bouncing ferret” Ginny gave Hermione a knowing look.

“you asked about him specifically Gin. Don’t start reading into things that simply are not there”

“fine, fine. What are you doing tonight?” Ginny asked

“My neighbour is coming over for a movie night. Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to go to Amnesia again. What about next Saturday?” Ginny asked, batting her long eyelashes in a pleading manner.

“Sure, why not. Girl’s night or free for all?”

“free for all I’d say. We haven’t met up with Nev and the other lions in ages” Ginny added

“I agree. Since it was your idea, you can organise it”

“Fine”

An owl interrupted by pecking at the front door. Ginny opened the door and a stunning, regal looking owl swooped in carrying a letter and a parcel. The bird perched on the edge of the counter and allowed Hermione to detach the letter and parcel from his foot before giving her a curt nod and flying back out again.

“ooo, that was a rather pompous owl. I’m guessing it’s from your new ‘friend’” Ginny said

As it appeared, it was from Malfoy. He had kept his word and had owled, what looked to be, their latest book. Carefully tearing open the envelop, Hermione pulled out the small card.

_Granger,_

_I have sent Genevieve with our book for the week. I hope you find it appropriate._

_I chose another Muggle book as I clearly have some catching up to do. The title of the book seemed very fitting for our club._

_Yours_

_Mr Darcy_

Hermione smiled at the parchment before opening the parcel. _Great Expectations._ He had chosen a Charles Dickens. _Great Expectations._ That’s what he thought of the book club. He also said _our club._ It’s strange to even have anything for them to claim together. It was theirs.

Mr Darcy.

Hermione couldn’t help but feel that he was saying more than that he had accepted he was like Mr Darcy. The letter felt very personal and it made Hermione flush with giddiness.

“Mr Darcy? Who the fuck is Mr Darcy? Is it not from Malfoy?” Ginny was clearly confused.

“Yes, it’s from Malfoy. It’s a reference to a book” Hermione explained softly.

“why has it made you go all googly-eyed?” Ginny joked

“huh…what…it – it hasn’t I –

“Mione I’m joking. You really need to work on your poker face because that was terrible” Ginny chuckled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Gin. Anyway, I have to stack these books, fancy giving me a hand?” Hermione said, quickly changing the subject.

“sorry, no can do. I’m meeting Fleur for lunch. She wants to go baby shopping. I’m so excited to be an Aunt, but baby shopping is mind numbingly boring” Ginny groaned.

After her friend left the shop, Hermione restacked several shelves and assisted customers until 6pm. After having dinner and a shower, she did something stupid. What possessed her to do it is beyond her. She owled Malfoy back. As soon as she sent the owl, she cringed with embarrassment. His letter didn’t require a response, so why did she send one? _For fucks sake Hermione. One ambiguous letter and you’ve turned into a stupid woman with the impulses of a hormonal teenager._

The letter wasn’t that bad was it?

_Malfoy_

_Thank you for the book. Great Expectations can only be achieved by truly great people._

_Great Wizards and Witches in our case._

_See you on Friday_

_Yours_

_Elizabeth Bennett_

When she sent it she thought she was being ironic, signing it as Elizabeth Bennett. Malfoy signed as Mr Darcy after all. It wasn’t until after an hour of pacing her living room that she realised what she had done. She had signed from Elizabeth Bennett. Mr Darcy’s love interest. She had implied that she was Malfoy’s love interest. Holy mother of fucking God. What has she done.


	14. Panic

_29 th October 2002 _

_Oh god. Oh god. Oh fucking god. Hermione why the fuck did you do that? You’re meant to be the brightest witch of her age! HOW have you done something so completely foolish? Even Ronald wouldn’t be this thick._

“arghhhhh” groaned Hermione “what the fuck am I going to do now?”

She waited 3 hours. No reply. _Ok, maybe this means he didn’t receive it. Owls have lost post before haven’t they? I should just go to bed and pretend it didn’t happen._

Hermione crawled into bed, wishing she was crawling into a deep dark hole that she could hide in forever to save her embarrassment. She had tossed and turned for what felt like hours before concluding that if he doesn’t reply, she will just pretend it didn’t happen. When she saw him next Friday, she wasn’t going to mention it and she doubted he would either. He is probably more mortified than she is. He is probably disgusted at the thought of being romantically involved a mudblood. _No Hermione, that’s not fair. He hasn’t called you a mudblood in years and even expressed that he didn’t think that way anymore. However, that doesn’t mean he wants to be romantically linked to you, you daft dimbo._

She did manage to get some sleep, although, she didn’t suppose the 3 and a half hours would do her much good for a whole day of work, and no doubt stressing over that stupid letter.

_4 th November 2002 _

By Wednesday, she had not received a reply from Draco, so she convinced herself that he hadn’t received it. If he had, he would have responded with a catty remark about not being her betrothed. She was going to pretend as if the whole thing hadn’t happened. That is the easiest way to save face. Yes. Definitely.

She had spent the last 2 days planning her menu for this evening. Both weeks at Theo’s had been so elegant and she didn’t want to seem like the weak link of the group. No doubt when Draco finally hosted at the Manor, they would be subject to a 10-course tasting menu. She settled on beef wellington, herby roast potatos and winter vegetables. She forwent the starter this time as it wasn’t really her forte. She instead made a cherry and white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. This was a favourite among her friends and family. She had even ordered speciality dessert wine to compliment the flavours. Hermione Granger would not be outdone.

At 5 minutes to 7, her floo chimed. _Please be Theo, please be Theo._ Hermione walked the length of her flat into the lounge to find Draco looking at himself in the mirror above the fireplace. _Definitely not Theo._

Hermione cleared her throat to get his attention, raising her eyebrows at the blatant display of vanity. Draco spun on his heels to face her. He was wearing tailored trousers, dragon hide boots and a fitted, crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His forearms thick and strong. The remaining shadow of the dark mark barely visible.

_Merlin help me, this man is beautiful._

“Evening Granger” Draco spoke, eyeing Hermione from head to toe.

“Hello, um good evening” Hermione stuttered

_Pull yourself together, damn._

“can I get you a drink?” Hermione asked

“a drink would be great. I brought this wine, if you’d like to join me?” Draco handed the bottle of white wine to Hermione.

“thank you, follow me to the kitchen”

Hermione led Draco through the flat to the kitchen and proceeded to pull two large wine glasses from the cupboard. She filled the wine half way and handed one off to Draco.

“nice little flat Granger. Lived here long?” Draco asked

“oh, thanks. I bought the place after finishing 8th year. I didn’t feel comfortable moving in with the Weasley’s full time, so this was the next best option” Hermione explained

“you didn’t want to go home to your parents?” Draco asked

“well, my parents aren’t around anymore”

“my condolences, I didn’t realise”

“they aren’t dead, I erased their memories of me during the war and sent them away to Australia. I don’t know where they are any more, plus its been too long to try to restore their memories” Hermione responded quietly

“Wow, that’s heavy”

“yep”

Hermione and Draco looked at each other awkwardly, hoping for Theo to arrive soon.

“would you um, would you like a tour?” Hermione offered

“sure, lead the way”.

Hermione led Draco through the flat explaining some stories behind the photographs whilst Draco nodded along quietly. Hermione came to her bedroom, opening the door.

“showing me your bedroom already granger?” Draco said with a smirk

Hermione blushed horribly but didn’t respond. Luckily for her, the floo chimed signalling that Theo had _finally_ arrived. Hermione practically ran through the flat to the lounge.

“Theo!”

“Sorry I’m late! Got held up at work. Long story”

“No bother, wine?”

“Please. You look a little flushed Hermione, you ok?” Theo questioned

“yep yep fine”

“she was showing me her bedroom” Draco called from the hallway

“was she now?” Theo looked smugly at Hermione

“I – I was giving him a tour. Of the whole flat. Not just the bedroom” Hermione rushed

“hmm I see. I don’t recall receiving a tour from you?”

“oh didn’t you? Well, feel free to look around” Hermione paced out of the room and into the kitchen with the two men following close behind.

The trio had a lengthy discussion about the Dickens novel before Hermione began serving the dinner. She had set the table earlier in the day, imitating the way Theo’s table was set.

Hermione served the main course and poured each of them a glass of red wine before taking her seat.

“This is amazing Granger, I still can’t believe you do all this by yourself” Theo praised

“it’s nothing honestly. Dig in” Hermione gestured

They ate mostly in comfortable silence, occasionally discussing the Dickens book further.

“that was lovely Granger, I’m thoroughly impressed” said Draco

“I second that” added Theo

Hermione smiled shyly. She levitated the plates into the kitchen and dishwasher. She accio’d the empty wine glasses into the kitchen, where she cleaned them and refilled with the dessert wine. After taking the time to present the cheesecake almost professionally, she levitated it all back to the dining area.

“Did you make this as well?” asked Draco

“Yes! I’ve been making it for years for the Weasleys and the order”

“would you mind sharing the recipe?” said Draco

“of course! Remind me before you leave, I’ll write it down for you”

Hermione thought that his elves probably had a cheesecake recipe already but didn’t question it.

“I took the liberty of bringing another book suggestion with me. I know how much you like to control everything Granger, but after the difficulty choosing last week, I thought this would be a good fit” Draco quipped

“I do not _have_ to control everything, I am usually forced to as no one else takes charge” Hermione argued

“luckily for you, I have no problem taking charge” Draco said making direct eye contact with Hermione

Hermione flushed. _Was he insinuating something?_ Draco handed both Theo and Hermione copies of The Great Gatsby.

“are we setting a new precedent of only reading muggle books?” Hermione questioned

“not at all, I just felt that myself and Theo should catch up with classic literature. If you are opposed, we can choose something from the wizarding world”

“No no, it’s not an issue. I was just asking. I actually haven’t read this book myself, so it will be nice to read it alongside you both” stated Hermione.

“Quite. Before we wrap up for the evening, I need to tell you both that I will be out of the country for the next 3 weeks for work, therefore I won’t be able to attend the next 3 meetings” Theo expressed

“oh. That’s a shame. So I guess we will discuss the book when you’re back then?” Hermione said feeling deflated.

“No, please continue without me. I will read whilst i’m away and will owl you my thoughts. Please also send me updates on what we will be reading over the next few weeks. But don’t postpone the meetings” Theo said quickly

“you mean, just continue the two of us?” Hermione looked to Draco.

“don’t want to be alone with me Granger?” Draco mocked

“what! No – of course not. I was just checking” Hermione rushed

“great that’s settled then. Are we about finished for the evening?” Theo asked

They all nodded in agreement. Hermione remembered that her and her friends would be having drinks tomorrow and decided to invite them both. They have both clearly changed quite a bit, and if Hermione could be friendly with them, surely her other friends could to. Theo and Draco both seemed apprehensive but agreed nonetheless.

“thank you for hosting Princess, the food was impeccable”, Theo kissed Hermione’s knuckles before flooing back to his manor.

Hermione turned towards Draco who was eyeing her carefully.

“So, shall I host again next week as Theo won’t be here?”

“actually, I was thinking that I would host. It’s only fair”

Hermione felt a pang in her chest. She really wasn’t ready to go back to the manor.

“I don’t live in the manor any longer. I have a house in Kensington. I wouldn’t force you to go to the manor…after what happened” Draco said softly

“oh ok then. Great. Just send me your address”

Draco took a few steps closer to Hermione and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. He slowly took her hand and brought it to his lips. Hermione was impossibly still. She couldn’t look away from the grey storm of his eyes.

“until next week, Miss Bennett”

And then he was gone in a rush of green flames.

_Miss Bennett. Fuck, he had got the letter. He hadn’t seemed disgusted though. Was this his way of flirting? Probably not, he is most likely just trying to get a reaction out of you Hermione._

_Yes, a reaction._


	15. When the Lions drink with the Snakes

_5 th November 2002 _

Ginny had arrived at Hermione’s flat at 3pm that afternoon insisting that they get ready together for the night out. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that it was because Hermione texted her to let her know that Theo and Draco would be joining them. As soon as Ginny stepped through the fireplace, she dragged Hermione to the shower, shoved her in and gave her a handful of hair products to tame her mane. She then proceeded to yell at Hermione through the shower door until she had confirmed that she had shaved every crevice of her body. _If she keeps this up I swear to Merlin that I will hex her into next week._

After 2 hours of having Ginny’s fingers in her hair, the ginger girl announced that her hair was finished and that it was time for makeup. Hermione hadn’t seen Ginny this bossy and controlling since the Yule Ball. Preparing for the ball was a scene much like the current one in the flat. Ginny barking orders, Hermione huffing and puffing whilst her hair was manipulated to within an inch of its life. Hermione did get Ginny to agree to light makeup because if she let the other girl have her way, she would have gone way over the top.

Hermione was not allowed to see the final look until she was dressed, according to Ginny. The dress Ginny handed to Hermione nearly caused her to have a heart attack.

“Gin, are you taking the piss? Where’s the rest of the dress?” Hermione exclaimed

“Hermione don’t be such a prude. You will be perfectly covered up. Just try it on”

Hermione huffed but complied by putting the dress on. It was a black, off the shoulder mini dress. It only reached part way down her thighs, showing off her slender legs. The mid-section of the dress was sheer, ensuring that anyone who looked at her, could see her abs. Or lack thereof.

“I don’t know about this Gin. It’s very provocative. What are you wearing?”

Ginny held up a crimson red mini dress. It was high neck, long sleeved and backless however it was just as short as Hermione’s. Hermione groaned at the realisation that Ginny was not backing down. She slipped on her black strappy heels and walked over to the mirror. She had to admit that she looked good. Really good. _Doesn’t it look like I’m trying too hard? I’ve never wore anything like this before, what if the rest of the group think I’m trying to impress Draco? Theo as well obviously._

Ginny really had worked her magic on Hermione’s hair. She had straightened her locks, but they still had a soft curl at the ends. As Hermione admired her reflection, Ginny came up behind her.

“you’re hot Hermione. The sooner you realise that the better. I don’t know where your lack of confidence comes from, but you need to realise that when you walk into a room, you are the prettiest one there. Except me of course” Ginny said with a wink and a giggle.

Hermione laughed and gathered her bag and essentials. Just before leaving, she remembered to strap her wand to her thigh. Just in case.

When they entered Amnesia, it was like stepping into a completely different bar. Gone were the sports tables and holograms. They had been replaced with a DJ, a dance floor and flashing lights. Ginny pulled her straight towards the bar and ordered 4 shots.

“What happened to this place? I thought it was a sports bar?” Hermione asked

“It changes weekly, it’s a wizarding bar Hermione. Keep up!” Ginny said handing her 2 shots.

_Well, if I’m going to make it through tonight, I’m going to need liquid luck. Literally._

She necked both shots in record time. She stifled a gag and ordered 2 more. Just to be sure.

“Slow down Granger, or you won’t make it past 9 o’clock” a voice drawled behind her. She turned to see the grey eyes that had plagued her mind for the last few weeks.

“you’d be surprised at her stamina” Ginny said with a smirk. Draco’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline whilst Theo barked out a laugh.

“GINNY” Hermione exclaimed

“Lighten up Princess” Theo chuckled.

Hermione spluttered a few sounds before giving up responding altogether. She turned fully to look at the two Slytherin boys. _Wow, they both scrub up very nicely._ They were dressed almost identically. Both wearing tailored trousers, tight, very tight, shirts that highlighted their biceps. They only difference is that Theo was wearing a black shirt, and Draco was wearing a green shirt. Slytherin green. _Of course._

The boys were looking at Hermione and Ginny just the same. Hermione did her best not to blush under their gaze, but she knew it was to no avail.

“I’m impressed Granger. Who knew you were hiding that under your normal clothes” Draco complimented

“you’d be surprised what else she’s hiding” Ginny added

“Ginevra for Christ sake” Hermione scolded

Draco grinned, “You know what Weaslette, I think we are going to get on just fine”

“we’ll see” Ginny grinned back.

Hermione ignored the pair of them and turned to Theo.

“you’re looking very handsome Theo” she smiled

“a compliment from the golden girl? You’ve just made my entire life” Theo said sarcastically placing his hand over his heart.

Hermione rolled her eyes playfully. She spotted the rest of their friends over Theo’s head and gestured, “come on, we should join the cavalry”.

The foursome walked over to the large group of ex Hogwarts students. Ron, Harry and Dean Thomas were animatedly talking about quidditch, Seamus and Neville were listening to Romilda talk about her work at St. Mungos, Hannah, Neville and Luna looked like they were playing a drinking game.

“oi you lively lot, started without us?” Ginny yelled before going to sit on Harry’s lap.

“well, you decided to turn up late” Ron grumbled

“Fashionably so” Luna added “you look stunning Hermione”.

“Thank you, Luna, that’s really kind of you” Hermione avoided making eye contact with anyone else at this point. She hated receiving compliments.

Seamus looked puzzled before questioning, “um ‘Mione…why are you being flanked by two snakes?”

Hermione’s guard instantly went up and she was prepared to defend her boys. _Her boys? Wtf?_

“Seamus don’t be rude. Theo and Draco are…well…we are friends now. They’ve changed a lot and –

“changed? You mean from being pure blood supremist death eaters?” Seamus spewed

“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean” Hermione retorted

“it’s alright Granger, we didn’t expect to have a merry reception” Draco said

“Yeah, we can leave Hermione. It’s not an issue” Theo added

“No. you’re my friends and I want you to stay. If anyone has a problem with that, they can leave” Hermione fumed.

No one said anything or made any moves to leave.

“great, that’s settled then” Hermione concluded.

Seamus looked like he could hex Hermione into oblivion. “If it helps Seamus, I’ve worked with Malfoy a few times over the last couple of years and I’ve seen the evidence that he really has changed” Neville spoke up

“Nice to see you Longbottom” said Malfoy.

“you two have worked together? I didn’t even know you had a job Malfoy” Hermione looked puzzled

“whilst I am filthy rich Granger, I choose to work for a living. I am a potions master for the ministry. I’ve collaborated with Longbottom a few times about rare ingredients” Draco advised

“oh, well that’s great” smiled Hermione.

Seamus still looked livid but didn’t say a further negative word. Draco and Theo slowly introduced themselves into the conversations around them. After several rounds of drinks, even Seamus seemed to ease into a conversation with them. Hermione was sat on a stool, nursing her fifth…sixth glass of wine when she felt a large hand on the small of her back.

“feeling a bit bleary eyed?” Draco mused

“only slightly. Don’t worry, I can handle it”

“pace yourself, it’s not wise for a young witch to be so inebriated”

“sorry, I didn’t realise you had become my father” Hermione stuck her tongue out at Draco.

“someone’s got to keep an eye on you” Draco said with a raised eyebrow

“you’ve got your eye on me, have you?” Hermione spoke without realising her insinuation

“inexplicably so” Draco responded, eyeing her up and down.

Hermione’s entire body tensed. _Ok his letters weren’t clear, but he is definitely flirting with me right now. Innocently? Oh god I hope not._ She shook out of her thoughts to see Draco staring at her over the rim of his glass.

“cat got your tongue?” he teased

Hermione could do nothing but open and close her mouth repeatedly.

“close your mouth Granger, or I’ll put it to good use”

_Holy shit. Did he just say that? I wonder if he’s thinking about me with my mouth-_

Another round of shots was placed on the table in front of her by Ron. Saved by the tequila. That’s a saying, right? Everyone reached over to grab a shot and a slice of lime. She chanced a look at Draco before pouring the shot into her mouth. He was already boring his eyes into her when she looked up. He kept eye contact whilst tipping the liquid slowly into his mouth and swallowing hard. Without breaking eye contact, he brought lime between his lips and sucked the juice. When the lime was thoroughly spent, he chucked it into the glass. When he licked the remaining juice off his lips, Hermione couldn’t help but zero in on the action, making Draco chuckle darkly.

“keep up Granger, you still haven’t done your shot” he almost whispered

Hermione didn’t know where the confidence came from, but she mirrored him. She took the shot without breaking eye contact and sucked on the lime ceremoniously. A small drop of juice dropped onto her lower lip just as she removed the fruit. In one fluid motion, he leaned across, swiped his thumb across her lip to gather the liquid, resulting in Hermione’s mouth parting slightly. He smirked whilst he brought his thumb to his mouth and licked the juice off silently.

_Hermione you can’t deny it any longer. You fancy him. To say you fancy him isn’t strong enough. You want to tear is clothes off and lick every inch of his body. His sex appeal is almost illegal. Criminal._

Ginny pulled her out of her thoughts by dragging her to the toilet. The entire time Ginny is chewing her ear off all she can think about is those grey eyes and those damn lips. By the time they made it back to the group, Hermione realised that she was pissed. Not pissed, slaughtered to be exact. Her head was swimming and she was certain that she was not walking in a straight line. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and starting to head off home. She realised that she was in no fit state to apparate herself and none of her friends lived close to her. _Bollocks._ Maybe she should just call a cab. Most of the group had left by this point, including Ginny and Harry. She couldn’t see Theo or Malfoy anywhere so assumed they had also left.

With a sigh, she started walking through the crowd to the front door. She felt an arm snake round her waist and spin her round. She was confronted with a short, stocky man who she didn’t recognise. The man was obviously quite drunk himself, so she reasoned that he may have mistaken her for someone else.

“going home alone sweetheart?”

_Ok, he didn’t mistake me for someone else._

“Um…actually I’m meeting my friends outside” Hermione lied, trying to detangle herself from the stranger.

“let them go on without you, stay for a drink with me” he said

“a very nice offer but I will need to decline. Now, please let me go-

“don’t be a spoil sport, stay for a drink” he said more forceful than before

Hermione felt panic flash through her. All her friends had already left so she would need to get out of this by herself. She couldn’t reach her wand from where he had gripped her.

“the lady asked you to take your hands off her. You’d do well to comply” she recognised that voice. Malfoy. He was still here.

“and who do you suppose you are?” the man spat

“trust me you don’t want to find out. Let. Her. Go” Draco seethed

The strange man took one look at Hermione, one look at Draco before pushing her away and muttering to himself. Draco caught her before she fell on her face. He put her back on her feet and led her outside.

“thank you – um – for before. I couldn’t reach my wand” Hermione slurred her words.

“I told you not to drink too much. It’s not safe for someone like you” Draco said evenly

“someone like me?” Hermione queried

Draco didn’t respond. He just led her to the apparition point.

“I can’t apparate, I’m too drunk. I will get a cab-

“I’m going to side apparate you. It’s not safe for you to be taking any transport alone in this state”

“but I’m fine –

“really? Because you didn’t look fine in the bar?” Draco challenged her

Hermione knew that she didn’t have a leg to stand on really. Not that she could stand very well now anyway. Draco cautiously wrapped his arm around her waist before she felt a pull behind her navel. When they landed, Hermione instantly felt nauseous. Thankfully, Draco had apparated them to her front door and she quickly fumbled her keys to let them in. She ran straight for the bathroom and began throwing up in the toilet. Draco gently pulled her hair back and rubbed her back.

_How mortifying. I’m actually throwing up in front of Malfoy. Gorgeous Malfoy. Urgh._

When she had finished throwing the entire contents of her stomach down the pan, she wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth. She couldn’t make eye contact with Draco due to her devasting embarrassment. He held her steady and led her through to her bedroom. _Luckily, I gave him that tour._ He found an oversized t shirt on the floor and handed it to her.

“I’m going to get you water, you get changed”. He walked out of the room without another word. Hermione was so confused. Why is he helping her? Why isn’t he disgusted at her poor attempt of holding her alcohol. She tried not to question too much as her head was thumping. She tore the dress off and threw the t shirt on. She tried, unsuccessfully, to take her heels off but couldn’t see straight enough to focus on the clasp. Draco re-entered the bedroom and placed the water on her bedside table. He silently grabbed her left foot and unbuckled her shoe. He repeated the movement with the right foot, but instead of putting her foot back on the ground, he sat on the edge of the bed with her leg rested across his lap. Hermione could do nothing but stare at him. _Who is this man and what has he done with Draco Malfoy?_

“thank you. For helping me, I don’t usually drink this much” she spoke sheepishly

“why did you drink so much tonight then?” he asked, looking at the wall across from him

“I – I don’t know, I was nervous”

“nervous of what?”

“you and Theo meeting everyone else I guess”

Draco pondered what she said for a while before asking, “do I make you nervous Hermione”

Her breathing hitched. He was staring straight at her now. _He called me Hermione. Oh god, the way it sounded on his lips. Shit, he was expecting an answer._

“um, a bit. Kind of” she admitted

He didn’t say anything in response. She found the silence to be unnerving. _Why is he still here? Is he waiting for something?_

“what did you mean when you said, it’s not safe for someone like me to be drinking a lot?”

Draco stood from the bed and walked to the head, where Hermione was laying on the pillow. She held her breath. He slowly crouched till he was the same height as her face. He was so close that she could feel his breath hit her face. He smelled delicious. Mint mixed with the undeniable smell of tequila. He slowly brushed a piece of hair away from her face and said,

“pretty witches like you shouldn’t allow themselves to be vulnerable like that”

_Pretty. Draco Malfoy just called her pretty._

He gave her a soft smile and whispered, “Goodnight Granger”. He walked towards the bedroom door slowly. Before he left her line of sight, she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, “Goodnight Draco”.


	16. The Morning After

_5 th November 2002 _

Hermione is woken by the sun streaming through her curtains. Before she even opens her eyes, she’s regretting drinking so much last night. The pounding of her head is deafening and the swirling in her stomach makes her shudder. _Drinking excessively is not big and it certainly isn’t clever Hermione. I don’t even remember getting home for Merlin’s sake._ She sat up in bed, slowly, trying to ease the nauseous feeling in her stomach. _At least I remembered to take my dress and shoes off I guess._

She practically crawled to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. She prayed that the water would wash away her hangover. _Unlikely._ After brushing her teeth and braiding her still wet hair, she made her way to the kitchen to brew coffee. And lots of it. Whilst waiting for the coffee machine, she tried to recall the events of last night. They were hazy to say the least. She vaguely remembered flirting with Malfoy. _Was that real or not?_ She nursed her coffee and took two paracetamols for her aching head. At 0800 Dinah knocked on her window with The Quibbler in tow. Before she had a chance to close the window, Genevieve soared through and landed on her coffee table. _Malfoy’s owl?_ The bird had a letter and a small vial tied to her leg.

Hermione quickly untied both items and offered Genevieve some treats before she took off. _What could Malfoy be sending me on a Sunday morning? We already chose this week’s book. Maybe he wants to cancel the meeting as Theo won’t be around to fill the awkwardness._

She carefully broke through the wax seal and took out the parchment.

_Granger_

_I didn’t see any hangover potions in your cupboard and I know you will be needing one this morning. I don’t think you’d have to be the smartest witch of our age to realise that it’s not clever to drink in excess._

_I won’t lecture you further as I did enough of that last night._

_I have enclosed my address for our meeting on Friday, I look forward to seeing you._

_Yours_

_Draco_

A hangover potion? _Thank you, sweet Merlin._ She quickly downed the potion, instantly feeling the relief. As her head cleared, she thought about what the letter had said. _I didn’t see any hangover potions in your cupboard. When was he in my cupboard?_ The memories of last night came flooding back.

Oh. My. God.

The tequila. The lime. His lips. _Oh god his lips._ She remembered the sleazy guy in the bar, how Malfoy stood up to him, how he apparated her home, held her hair back whilst she threw up. _Urgh!_ He had taken her shoes off, called her pretty and called her Hermione. In a panic she ran to the fireplace, called out a location and disappeared.

When she fell out of the floo at Grimmauld Place, Ginny and Harry were curled up on the sofa and completely startled by Hermione’s appearance. In her haste, she hadn’t even got dressed. She was still in her bathrobe with bare feet. She had little time to be embarrassed as she was too concerned with her…thing with Malfoy.

“Jesus Christ Hermione! You almost gave us a heart attack!” Harry yelled

“what’s going on? You look ghastly” Ginny added

“Malfoy…he…tequila…sick…letter” Hermione struggled to find the words to explain why she was in such a state.

“Malfoy? What? Has he done something Hermione” Harry looked worried now

“Took me home…in my bedroom”

“IN YOUR BEDROOM? I’LL KILL HIM” Harry shouted, running towards the fireplace

“No Harry…not like that…oh god I’m so embarrassed” Hermione hide her face in her hands

Harry and Ginny looked at each other in confusion. Hermione had taken to pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace and muttering under her breath.

“Harry, go stick the kettle on. Hermione calm the fuck down. We are going to have some breakfast and you are going to tell us what happened” Ginny stated.

Harry rushed through to the kitchen, far too eagerly. Hermione just nodded silently and followed Ginny through the house. After Harry had made them all tea, and Ginny had rustled up 3 plates of eggs, Hermione began to tell them what had happened with Draco.

“so, let me get this straight, he flirted with you using a lime, saved you from a creep, held your hair whilst you threw up, put you in bed whilst being completely respectful, and he called you pretty?” asked Ginny

“more or less, yes”

“Ok…I fail to see what your issue is?” said Ginny pulling a confused face

“my issue is…” Hermione faltered

Harry and Ginny looked at her expectantly. When she failed to finish her thoughts, Ginny burst out laughing. It was Hermione’s turn to look confused now whilst Harry looked smug. “why are you laughing? Harry why is she laughing?”

“Mione. You’re panicking because you like him” Ginny stated evenly

“WHAT…I – I – I don’t like him. Well, he has changed and he’s quite easy to talk to, he’s very clever and yes he’s obviously handsome…but I don’t like him!” Hermione argued

“you sure about that?” Harry asked holding back a giggle. “Hermione, you’ve just listed all his redeeming qualities. Although, I wasn’t sure he had any”

“what’s your point Harry?” Hermione said impatiently

“my point is, that you obviously do like him. If he has changed the way you say he has, why is that such an issue?” asked Harry

Hermione was silent for a moment. She knew why she was panicking. She was panicking because whilst she was 100% sure that she had feelings for Draco Malfoy, she didn’t know if he had any feelings towards her. Was he just being the pureblood gentleman he was raised to be?

“I’m scared Harry. What if it’s one sided?” Hermione’s lip started to quiver, and her eyes filled with unshed tears.

“He took you home, held your hair whilst you were being sick, which is gross by the way. He has already told you that he thinks you’re attractive and that he’s ‘got his eye on you’. What makes you think he doesn’t have feelings for you?” said Ginny

Hermione didn’t have an answer. Harry leaned across the table and took Hermione’s hand in his own. “Hermione, you’re my best friend and I love you. But you are so dense sometimes. Malfoy clearly has some sort of feelings for you. The way he was looking at you last night was as if you were his last meal. He would be a fool not to notice you. You are beautiful, intelligent and strong. When are you going to realise this?”

Hermione jumped across the table to smother Harry in a tight hug. She sniffled into his neck until she had stopped crying. “thank you, Harry”. Harry just smiled.

“So. Now that you’ve acknowledged your burning love for Malfoy. What are you going to do about it?” asked Ginny

“I don’t love him Gin” said Hermione rolling her eyes. “what can I do about it? I can’t very well owl him and ask if he fancies me can I?”

“probably not. But, you’ve got the next 3 Fridays with him, alone. You can use this time to feel him out”

“feel him out? I’m not going to molest him during book club Ginny” Hermione hissed

“Merlin, not like that! Although I like the way you think” Ginny added with a wink. “I mean, test the waters. Flirt with him. See how he responds. If you flirt with him, he may be more willing to open up. So far, it doesn’t sound like you’ve given him any indicators that you’re at all interested in him”

“yes, I guess you’re right. But you’re forgetting one thing”

“what’s that?” Harry and Ginny asked together

“I don’t know how to flirt. I’m incapable”

“don’t be ridiculous. Everyone knows how to flirt. You said it yourself, you gave a blowjob to a lime last night. That was flirting. You didn’t need any assistance with that” teased Ginny.

Hermione blushed, and Harry looked positively mortified. Ginny had a unique way of making everything sexual and making everyone uncomfortable. It was one of her many talents. Clearly inherited from Fred and George. They spent the rest of the morning discussing how Hermione could flirt with Draco on Friday. By the time she went home, she felt much better about the situation and relatively more confident in herself.

She decided to test the waters by sending an owl to him.

_Draco_

_Thank you for the potion. You were right, I was in dire need of it this morning. I don’t plan to get that drunk for a long time. Ever again really._

_Thank you for making sure I got home safely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a man in my bedroom, hence the messiness._

_I plan to start reading The Great Gatsby today. I look forward to discussing it on Friday._

_Yours_

_Hermione_

Flirty but not over the line. She called for Dinah and sent her off into the sky before she could change her mind. She curled up on the sofa and began reading The Great Gatsby. When she was part way through, she noticed that some lines seemed highlighted almost. She cast a quick _Revealio_ and was stunned to see several lines extracted from the book. _Has Malfoy done this on purpose? Is he trying to tell me something?_ She made her way through the book, only reading the lifted quotes.

_“He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps”_

_“it is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment”_

_“A stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words”_

_“it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life”_

_“The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain”_

Hermione’s lungs begged for air. The entire time she was reading, she had been holding her breath. She finally granted a gulp of air to enter her lungs and felt the burning sensation leave her chest. Draco was communicating with her through the book. How did he know she would figure it out? Maybe he was hoping that she wouldn’t.

_He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself._ Draco was trying to find a piece of himself. A piece that was lost in the war maybe? That was lost to Voldemort. _Is this him asking for my help?_

_Looking through new eyes._ Clearly a reference to his upbringing. A reference to blood purity. _Does he truly not believe me to be inferior anymore?_

Those romantic quotes. About Jordan and Daisy. _Is this a reference to how he see’s me? Surely not._

Hermione’s head was spinning. Ginny and Harry had convinced her that he had _some_ feelings towards her, but these quotes are more than just feelings. Is Draco Malfoy even capable of such emotions? Hermione guessed that there was only one way to find out.

She removed the charm from the book and cast her own. She read through the book with pure concentration, highlighting any quotes that made her think of Draco. When she returned the book to him, she would make it known that there was a message for him. Hermione may not know how to flirt, but she knew books. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought that Draco chose to communicate with her through her first love. Classic literature. Classic muggle literature to be exact.

She chose only one quote from the entire book, and it spoke volumes.

_“she was feeling the pressure of the world outside and she wanted to see him and feel his presence beside her and be reassured that she was doing the right thing after all”_


End file.
